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Eagle Biology - Classification

Scientists classify birds according to their common traits. For example, the bald eagle, a member of the genus Haliaeetus in the Accipitridae family tree probably evolved from the the Asian and Australasian kites of the genus Haliastru. Today, the Indian Brahminy kite is probably the closest living link of the sea eagles to their past ancestors. Sea eagles and kites share many common characteristics, including fishing, scavenging, pirating of food, courtship displays, and breeding habits.

The bird that we know as "The Bald Eagle" is called something entirely different by scientists and orinthologists. To give an exact description of a bird, its class, order, family, genus & species should be given.

Common Name: Bald Eagle
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus&Species: Haliaeetus (sea eagle) leucocephalus (white head)

The common name "bald eagle" does not refer to an absence of head covering. Rather, the word "bald" comes from the early English word balde which meant "white-headed."

Northern vs Southern Bald Eagles
Scientists used to believe that there were actually two sub-species of the Bald Eagle: a Northern and a Southern variety. The Northern Bald Eagle tended to live above the 40th parallel (colder climates) and were larger than Southern Bald Eagles living below the 40th parallel. However, scientists later discovered that the only difference between the two species was their size.

In fact, the size of bald eagles gradually grew as the bird was located further and further north. Bald eagles grew larger beginning with the smallest found in Florida, middle-sized birds across the middle of the country, and the largest bald eagles found in Alaska, Canada , and northern states of the United States such as Washington and New York. Therefore, the distinction between Southern and Northern bald eagles is no longer mentioned in the scientific community. However, many of the older research materials you encounter may still make this distinction. Here is the scientific names for both the Southern and Northern Bald Eagles:

Southern Bald Eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus
Northern Bald Eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus



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	VU Study » Biology » Classification Eagle Biology - Classification Scientists classify birds according to their common traits. For example, the bald eagle, a member of the genus Haliaeetus in the Accipitridae family tree probably evolved from the the Asian and Australasian kites of the genus Haliastru. Today, the Indian Brahminy kite is probably the closest living link of the sea eagles to their past ancestors. Sea eagles and kites share many common characteristics, including fishing, scavenging, pirating of food, courtship displays, and breeding habits. The bird that we know as "The Bald Eagle" is called something entirely different by scientists and orinthologists. To give an exact description of a bird, its class, order, family, genus & species should be given. Common Name: Bald Eagle Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes Family: Accipitridae Genus&Species: Haliaeetus (sea eagle) leucocephalus (white head) The common name "bald eagle" does not refer to an absence of head covering. Rather, the word "bald" comes from the early English word balde which meant "white-headed." Northern vs Southern Bald Eagles Scientists used to believe that there were actually two sub-species of the Bald Eagle: a Northern and a Southern variety. The Northern Bald Eagle tended to live above the 40th parallel (colder climates) and were larger than Southern Bald Eagles living below the 40th parallel. However, scientists later discovered that the only difference between the two species was their size. In fact, the size of bald eagles gradually grew as the bird was located further and further north. Bald eagles grew larger beginning with the smallest found in Florida, middle-sized birds across the middle of the country, and the largest bald eagles found in Alaska, Canada , and northern states of the United States such as Washington and New York. Therefore, the distinction between Southern and Northern bald eagles is no longer mentioned in the scientific community. However, many of the older research materials you encounter may still make this distinction. Here is the scientific names for both the Southern and Northern Bald Eagles: Southern Bald Eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus Northern Bald Eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus

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