See The Baby Eaglets In Phoenix New York

Any newborn bird is called a hatchling but the specific name for an eagle hatchling is an eaglet. We have a video of a few eaglets with a big appetite in Phoenix. The eaglet on the left has a pretty big fish.

On June 20, 1782, our Continental Congress adopted the bald eagle as our official national symbol. Thankfully the symbolic power, strength and freedom associated with the Bald Eagle won out because Thomas Jefferson was voting for the wild turkey.

It takes about 35 days for the Bald Eagle's eggs to hatch. The eaglets are nest bound for about 10 - 12  weeks, then anytime after they will start to fly (fledging). They practice flying to and from the nest and surrounding trees over the next month or two.

The eaglets in the video are about 2 months old and we are hoping to get some video for them starting to fly. According to Learner.org the first year is the most critical for an eaglet. From our work releasing eagles in New York, about 2.5 adults would survive for every 20 (1 in 8). Mortality is highest for Eagles in their first year of life, especially their first six months. The first winter is crucial. Some biologists (two studies) have estimated mortality as high as 72 % within one year of fledging (leaving the nest). Another study estimated that only 11 % of Eagles were alive after 3 years of life. In general, we believe that only about 1 in 10 eagles survive to adulthood ( 5 yrs of age).

Huge thank you to Neal Cook for his video.

Bonus Video:

[Information from Learner.org]