DAD M15 HUNTED A RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST E24&E25. BALD EAGLE'S NEST. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (SWFL). USA 1-1-25 - F23&M15. BALD EAGLE'S NEST. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (SWFL). USA Male M15, female F23, eaglets E24, E25. The bald eagle is a large bird of prey of the hawk family, native to North America. It is one of the national symbols of the United States, its stylized image is present on many attributes of this state, in particular the national emblem - the Great Seal and the presidential standard. The bald eagle is a large bird of prey about 76-81 cm long and with a wingspan of about 203 cm. Females look much larger, their weight is on average 5.4 kg, while males only 4.1 kg. The plumage of adult birds, with the exception of the white head, upper neck and tail, is dark brown. The beak is large, stands out against the general background, bright yellow, hooked and bent at the end. The iris of the eye is yellow. The wings are wide, rounded. The tail is wedge-shaped. The legs are yellow, half covered with feathers, with strong short fingers and long ( 5 cm) claws. The claw of the hind finger is well developed, which allows the bird to pierce the victim with it while it holds it with the front ones. Sexual dimorphism (visible differences between the male and female), except for size, is not pronounced. In young birds, the plumage, as well as the color of the eyes and beak, is completely dark brown, including the head, neck and tail, and the body (wing coverts, tail and belly) for the first four to five years of life is unevenly covered with numerous white or light brown spots. The flight is uniform, leisurely, with rare wing flaps. During soaring, the wide wings are spread at right angles to the body, and the head is extended forward. The bald eagle settles near open water (at a distance of no more than a kilometer) - a large lake, ocean or river, which allows it to have a good food base nearby. Another necessary condition for nesting is the presence of large trees with an open crown, capable of supporting a large nest for several years. Often used for this purpose are yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa), Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus), Weymouth mountain pine (Pinus monticola), Menzies's hemlock (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and lobated oak (Quercus lobata). As a rule, birds choose the tallest, often dominant, tree in the area, which allows them to have a good view and the opportunity to fly freely. The bird prefers to nest far (1.2 km) from human habitation and near water bodies with a sufficient number of fish. Sexual maturity in bald eagles occurs at the age of 4–6 years. Bald eagles are monogamous, the pair remains for life in the case of settlement or stays together for a year. If one individual in a pair dies, the second finds a new half. A large cup-shaped nest is built at the top of a tall living tree with a good view around and near open water - a lake or the sea. The average height of the nest in the Chesapeake Bay area is 27 m. In some cases, if there are no trees in the nesting area, the nest is built on the edge of a cliff or on the ground in a place inaccessible to terrestrial predators. The width of the nest is about 1.5 m, the depth is about 1 m. The same nest may be used for several years in a row, although the pair often has several spare nests nearby and uses them alternately. The newly hatched chicks are initially covered with down. The beginning of the breeding season varies somewhat depending on the latitude, but in general, egg laying occurs once a year, in mid-January-March. The female usually lays 1-3 (2) dull white eggs with an interval of one to two days. If for some reason the first clutch is lost, the female is able to lay again. The incubation period is 34–38 days, with the female incubating most of the time, although the male occasionally replaces her. The chicks hatch in the same order as the eggs were laid, so they differ markedly in size. The chicks that have emerged are covered in down and helpless; for the first two to three weeks, one parent is constantly in the nest - mainly the female does this, while the male is engaged in foraging for food. The chicks compete with each other for access to food, and the younger ones often die of hunger. At the age of about six weeks, they learn to tear pieces of food and jump from branch to branch, and at 9–14 weeks they make their first flight. Having learned to fly, the chicks spend another 2–10 weeks near their parents, after which they begin an independent life. The bald eagle is a predatory animal, it hunts mainly aquatic animals - fish and small waterfowl. In addition, it consumes reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, small mammals and invertebrates. Sometimes it consumes carrion, including fallen livestock. The basis of the diet is fish (56%), which the eagles spot while soaring in the sky and grab close to the water surface. Another important component of the diet of white-tailed eagles is medium-sized birds (28%)