A bald eagle has a white head and a white tail. Its body is brown. Its feet are yellow.

Bald eagles live near water. A hungry eagle waits on a favorite perch. It waits until it sees a fish near the top of the water.

Then the eagle grabs the fish with the sharp talons on its toes. Fish is its favorite food.

Eagles also eat ducks. They eat small animals such as rabbits too.

Bald eagles can swim. They use their wings in a rowing motion.

Female eagles are larger than males. A big female can weigh as much as 14 pounds, about 6.5 kilograms. Her wings can spread up to 8 feet, or 2.4 meters, across.

Bald eagles are believed to pick one mate for life. The pair builds a nest out of large sticks.

A pair most often lays two eggs, and sometimes one or three. The eggs hatch after about 35 days.

Baby eagles are called eaglets. Young eagles are mostly brown. They get a white head and tail at about four or five years old.

Words to know

• perch: a high seat
• talons: sharp claws
• mate: a partner
• eaglets: baby eagles