Bald Eagles: Nesting and Young

Bald Eagles: Nesting and Young Related Information:

As with most species, the nest and the young of the bald eagle are very important to it. A bald eagle will go to great lengths to protect its nest and young ones. When it comes to its nest, a bald eagle has very good instincts and it knows not to build its nest at the very top of trees since branches a little lower are much sturdier than the ones at the top. The above branches can also help shield the young eaglets from natural elements.

Nest of a bald eagle:

The nest of a bald eagle is known as an Eyrie. An Eyrie is one of the largest bird nests in the world. It is typically built in trees but can also be built on a cliff or on the ground if no trees are available in the nesting territory. A nest can be as big as 9 feet and can weigh as much as 2 tons. Nests on trees are usually conical, cylindrical or bowl shaped whereas on the ground or level tree branches they are in the shape of a disk.

Bald eagles use the same nests every breeding season. They just keep adding new materials year after year. They line their Eyries with twigs, moss, feathers, and grass. A new nest is typically 2 feet deep and 5 feet wide but can grow enormously over the years. If a nest is destroyed for any reason, then the bald eagles usually remake their nest in close by areas. Some nests, which have survived the natural elements, are known to be as old as 50 years.

A bald eagle’s young ones:

Once a year, in the spring, the female bald eagle lays 1 to 3 eggs at a time. It lays its first egg between five and ten days after successful mating; then the second one after a few days; and then maybe a third. The eggs hatch after 35 days in the order in which they are laid. In these 35 days, both the male and the female bald eagle, take turns in caring for the eggs and keeping them warm. The nest and eggs are never left alone and either of the two ‘parents’ is always keeping guard.

The young eaglets emerge from the eggs by breaking the shell with their beaks. Not all the eaglets may survive and at times one eaglet may even kill another one. Young chicks have very weak legs, limited sight, and are covered by a grayish down. They rely on their parents to feed them.

The eaglets gain one pound of weight every four or five days. By the second week they can hold up their heads; by the third they are 1 foot in height; by the fifth they can stand, and are almost adult size by their sixth week. At eight weeks, they are at their hungriest and are ready to fly by week twelve.

The first flight of a young bald eagle is a significant milestone in their lives. An estimated 40% of these do not survive their first flying experience. Once they develop their necessary flying feathers, they take short flights to and from the nest for 4 to 5 weeks. At this time their resolve to hunt is strong but since they do not yet have the required expertise, they are fed by their parents. They finally leave their nest 6 to 9 weeks after their first flight.

The entire mating, birthing, and nesting cycle takes about 20 weeks. During this time, the adult bald eagles do not stray very far from their Eyries and stay within 1 to 2 miles of it.