Hey guys Julia here for DNews
Bald eagles were honored as the national bird of the United States in 1782, suggested by
William Barton, a Philadelphia artist.
but benjamin franklin or B Frank as I like to call him, HATED the bird.
He called it “a bird of bad moral character” because they’re “too lazy to fish for
himself.”
So our national bird was almost a turkey.
A freaking turkey, which B Frank liked.
He said they are a little vain and silly but are a real "bird of courage.”
While B Frank is kind of right, bald eagles do eat carrion, or dead meat, and might steal
food from other animals, he’s also wrong!
They aren’t too lazy to fish.
Sometimes they will even put their life on the line for a tasty meal.
bald eagles can kind of swim.
according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
well it’s more like they can sit on the water and use their wings as oars.
This can come in handy if they catch a fish that’s too large for them to fly with.
So they’ll row to shore with the fish in tow. (in toe, get it?
cause the fish is in their talons on their toes?
oh never mind) And apparently there are cases of some birds drowning because their meal
is too big.
But it’s not just big fish that put the bird in danger.
Unfortunately America almost lost one of her treasured national symbols.
In 1967 they were designated Endangered, for a few reasons, like habitat loss, over hunting,
and possibly pesticide exposure.
They became one of the first animals to be put on the Endangered Species List.
Since then bald eagles made a huge come back.
Their protection programs were considered a huge success, and the species was taken
off the Endangered Species List in 2007.
And today, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 9,789 nesting pairs of
bald eagles in the contiguous United States.
And that doesn’t even count what’s in Alaska.
If you’ve ever seen one in the wild you know how huge they are.
Female bald eagles can weigh up to 14 pounds and have a wingspan of 8 feet.
And for a big bird, they need a big nest.
They build huge nests.
LIKE HUGE.
Like the largest of any North American bird.
The largest bald eagle nest on record was 9.5 ft (3 m) wide and 20 ft (6 m) high.
It weighed more than two tons.
And they live a long time too!
Bald eagles can live up to 28 years in the wild and 36 years in captivity.
So if you’re in America this fourth of July weekend Happy Fourth!
If you’re not in America…
well hope you learned a little bit about our majestic mascot.
On the topic of Independence Day, have you ever wondered how fireworks work?
Anthony’s got the scoop in this video right here:
So are there any animals you want to know more about?
let us know in the comments below.
Hit those like and subscribe buttons and keep coming back to DNews to get your science fix
everyday of the week.