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In the wild, Bald Eagles typically live about 20-30 years, but can realize a life span of approximately 50 years.
They have been known to live longer while in captivity. Some have lived up to 60 years old.
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Bald Eagle aka Sea Eagle
Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
 The Bald Eagle, also known as the American Eagle or Sea Eagle, is a bird of prey found in North America. It is most recognizable as the national bird of the United States. It is probably one of the country's most recognizable symbols, and appears on most of its official seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States. National significance dates back to June 20, 1782, when the Continental Congress officially adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States including a Bald Eagle grasping arrows and an olive branch with its talons. Some states had earlier done so in 1778.
Adult females have an average wingspan of about 7 feet; adult males have a wingspan of about 6 1/2 feet. Adult females weigh approximately 12.8 lb, males weigh 9 lb.
In the wild, Bald Eagles typically live about 20-30 years, but can realize a life span of approximately 50 years. They generally live longer in captivity, up to 60 years.
The Bald Eagle's diet is opportunistic and varied, but most eagles live mostly off of fish. In the Pacific Northwest, almost the entirety of Bald Eagle subsistence is comprised by spawning trout and salmon. To hunt fish, easily their most important live prey, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish. Osprey also have this adaptation. Bald Eagles have powerful talons. In one case, an eagle was able to fly off with the 15 lb carcass of a Mule Deer fawn, the greatest weight-carrying capacity ever shown by a flying bird.
Bald Eagles mate by a "cartwheel" display in which they fly high in the sky, lock talons, and perform the sex act in a tumbling free fall. They separate just before hitting the ground.
 Bald Eagles build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees near water. The nest may stretch as large as eight feet across and weigh up to a ton. When breeding where there are no trees, the Bald Eagle will nest on the ground. Eagles produce between one and three eggs per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fly. Both the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for nesting material. The eggs average about 2.9 inches long and have a breadth of 2.2 inches.
The incubation period averages at about 35 days and the parents will brood their offspring until they are about 4 weeks of age. The fledging stage can occur at any time from 8 to 14 weeks, the wide variation dictated by the effects of sex and hatching order on growth and development. Egg and nestling predation may be committed by Black-billed Magpies, gulls, ravens and crows, black bears and raccoons. With no known predators themselves, adults will fiercely defend their offspring from all these species.
Eagles that are old enough to breed often return to the area where they were born. Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years old.
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