[Wikipedia] Bald Eagle

[Faraaz Damji]

   The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America, most
   recognizable as the national bird and symbol of the United States of
   America.  This sea eagle has two known subspecies and forms a species
   pair with the White-tailed Eagle.  Its range includes most of Canada,
   all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico.  It is found
   near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and
   old-growth trees for nesting.  The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a
   body length of 71–96 centimeters (28–38 in), a wingspan of 168–244
   centimeters (66–88 in), and a weight of 3–6.3 kilograms (6.6–14 lb);
   females are about 25 percent larger than males.  The adult Bald Eagle
   has a brown body with a white head and tail, and bright yellow irises,
   taloned feet, and a hooked beak; juveniles are completely brown except
   for the yellow feet.  Males and females are identical in plumage
   coloration.  Its diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an
   opportunistic feeder.  It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the
   fish out of the water with its talons.  It is sexually mature at four
   or five years of age.  The species was on the brink of extirpation in
   the continental United States (while flourishing in much of Alaska and
   Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and
   has been officially removed from the U.S. federal government's list of
   endangered species.  The Bald Eagle was officially reclassified from
   "Endangered" to "Threatened" on July 12, 1995 by the U.S. Fish &
   Wildlife Service, and delisted on June 28, 2007.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle


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Today's selected anniversaries:

1776:
   Captain Nathan Hale, an American Revolutionary spy from the
   Continental Army, was hanged by British forces.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale)

1792:
   The epoch of the French Republican Calendar, marking the first day
   of the newly proclaimed French First Republic.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar)

1862:
   Slavery in the United States: President Abraham Lincoln issued the
   Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of all slaves in
   Confederate territory by January 1 1863.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation)

1869:
   Das Rheingold, the first of four operas in Der Ring des Nibelungen
   by German composer Richard Wagner, was first performed in Munich.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Rheingold)

1965:
   The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution
   calling for an unconditional ceasefire in the Indo-Pakistani War.  The
   conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir ended the following
   day.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1965)


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Wiktionary's Word of the day:

   asthenia: Weakness; loss of strength.
   (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/asthenia)


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Wikiquote of the day:

   Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making
   yourself known so that you may gain reward.  Really bring benefit to
   others, gaining nothing for yourself.  This is the primary requisite
   for breaking free of attachments to the Self.  -- Dōgen
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen)