Liberty
Liberty, a male bald eagle, arrived at the Florida Audubon Society's rehabilitation center in the summer of 1992, as a juvenile, with a fractured coracoid (similar to a human collar bone). After healing, he was banded and released at the Merritt Island, Florida, National Wildlife Refuge on 10/30/92. Three weeks later he was found in St. Augustine, Florida, with a dislocated humerus (shoulder) and permanent retinal damage to both eyes. It is believed he was hit by a car. After healing, Liberty was transferred to the World Bird Sanctuary, where he became a featured educational bird. In his travels he has helped to educate thousands of audiences about the amazing success story of our national symbol. His calm and relaxed attitude, along with his regal bearing, has made him a popular favorite with handlers and audiences alike. Your adoption fee will help feed, house and care for Liberty in the coming year.
Adoption Fee $150
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
| Description | large; white head, neck and tail; brown-black body; massive yellow bill and feet |
| Sex | males and females are similar but females are larger |
| Age | juveniles are mostly dark brown with white blotches underneath and on the wing linings; become more white each molt; gain adult plumage after 4-5 years; immature calls are generally harsher |
| Length | 31-37" |
| Wingspan | 5.8-7.5' |
| Weight | 8-14 lbs. |
| Habitat | rivers, lakes, coastal areas |
| Status | seen across most of North America; common in Alaska, parts of Florida and in the Midwest during winter months; common along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in winter; became endangered in the 70s from pesticides; conservation programs and pesticide banning helped increase populations again |
| Range | Alaska and Canada to the southern United States |
| Behavior | monogamous pairs; breed April-August and build a stick nest as high as 150 feet above the ground, usually in a tree or on cliffs near water; renovate and add to their nest each year until it falls; 1 brood with 1-3 dull, whitish eggs; both parents incubate for 34-36 days until semi-altricial chicks hatch asynchronously; chicks leave nest at 10 weeks; large numbers of bald eagles often congregate where food is plentiful, like spawning ruts; will steal food from smaller and weaker osprey; fly low after prey |
| Diet | carrion, fish, waterfowl, birds, small mammals |
| Vocalization | sharp, pleading, creaking cackle; "kleek-kik-ik-ik-ik" |
| Other Information | - The Bald Eagle has been the national symbol of the United States since 1782 |