Loretta McKinney, age 11, of Gadsden, Ala., for her question:
HOW LONG DOES AN EAGLE LIVE?
A wild eagle generally will live from 20 to 30 years. In captivity, an eagle may live to be 50 years old or more.
Young eagles breed for the first time when they are about four years old and they keep the same mates for life. But if one dies, the other usually finds another mate and breeds again the next year.
In winter, eagles may gather in areas where there is plenty of food. But during the breeding season, each pair claims a territory around its nest and keeps all other eagles away. The golden eagle defends a territory of about 20 to 60 miles while the bald eagle holds a smaller territory. Sometimes three bald eagle nests lie within one mile of each other.
The golden eagle looks fierce and soars high in the air while hunting for food. He is courageous and graceful and is sometimes called the king of birds. It is this bird that is often the symobl of freedom and power.
The bald eagle is not as graceful as the golden eagle and he is a timid hunter.
Both golden and bald eagles are from 30 to 35 inches long from the bill to the tip of the tail. They weigh from eight to 13 pounds and have wingspreads of about seven feet.
Eagles build nests called aeries or eyries. Both words are pronounced "air eez" and either spelling is correct. Bald eagles usually build their eyries in the tops of tall trees near the water, while golden eagles usually nest on high cliffs in the mountains.
Eagles build their eyries mainly with sticks. They often decorate the nests with fresh green leaves while they are using it. They add new material every year they use it, so many old eyries are very big.
A new eyrie may be only three feet across and 18 inches deep, but an old one may be about 10 feet across and 20 feet deep.
A female eagle usually lays two eggs each year, and rarely she will lay three. The eggs are about three inches long and about two inches across. Golden eagle eggs are white or spotted with reddish brown or gray. Bald eagle eggs are white and they become stained with yellow while in the nest.
Northern eagles lay their eggs in March. Bald eagles living in Florida lay their eggs in September or October.
Eagle eggs must be warmed for about 40 days before they hatch. The female sits on the eggs during most of that time. The male sits on them occasionally. He brings food to the female while she is sitting.
Both parents guard the nest and take food to the young after they are born.
Eaglets, as the babies are called, are hatched with their eyes open. They are covered with a grayish white fuzz. Their feathers start to grow when they are about four weeks old.
Eaglets are not able to tear up their own food until they are about six or eight weeks old. They leave the nest when they are 11 or 12 weeks old, but they cannot fly very well at first. The parents feed them for several months, until they can hunt well enough to find their own food.