Description
Up to 3 feet in height, a bald eagle's wingspan is almost
8 feet. As with most raptors, the female is larger than the
male. Adults have a distinctive white head and tail, dark
brown body and yellow eyes, beak and legs. By contrast, young
eagles are uniformly brown and do not develop their characteristic
plumage until they mature at about 5 years of age.
Diet
Bald eagles are primarily fish eaters, preying occasionally
on small mammals and carrion. Eagles have been seen feeding
on roadside kill alongside vultures.
Breeding
Bald eagle nesting season is October 1 through May 15. Eagles
mate for life and use the same site year after year, if
the territory is available and has not been degraded. In
Florida, the eagles usually return in late September or
early October. One to three eggs are laid between late November
and early January. The young eaglets hatch 32-34 days later
and leave the nest in 11-12 weeks, usually by mid-May. The
young birds wander northward as far as Canada and return
by adulthood at 4-5 years of age. They find mates and initiate
breeding in the vicinity where they originally were hatched.
It is not known how many eagles survive the first 4-5 years
of life, but juvenile mortality is probably high as with
most birds.
Protection
Currently, the main threat to bald eagles in Florida is
loss of nesting habitat due to development. The U. S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish & Wildlife
Conservation Commission have established guidelines for
protective zones around eagle nests with certain restrictions
imposed to ensure continued success of those sites. Some
Cape Coral eagles have built their nests in mostly residential
areas that still are developing. Because of this, we afford
the eagles a little more protection.
In Cape Coral, we have expanded that protection
zone through our City Ordinance 13-92 (Code of Ordinances,
Chapter 23). City regulations establish an eagle nest management
zone that extends 1,100 feet from each eagle nest. Within
the eagle nest management zones, heavy outdoor construction
is prohibited during eagle nesting season. The City may
prohibit construction at any time within 350 feet of an
eagle nest.
The following city units may be affected
by eagle management zones:
Units 72, 73, 28,54, 58, 63, 70, 90, 90A.
Property owners, property buyers, real estate agents and
contractors are encouraged to contact the Division of Growth
& Land Management at 941/574-0589 with any questions
regarding eagle nest management zones. We encourage people
to call prior to purchasing property, applying for a building
permit or obtaining a construction loan if they believe
their property may be within any such zone.
Additional information on the study of suburban
and rural eagle nesting success can be found at http://wld.fwc.state.fl.us/eagle/.
The site indicates the travel patterns of selected bald
eagles, including some Cape Coral eagles.
Questions
Anyone with questions can direct them to the City of Cape
Coral Growth & Land Management Division at 574-0589.
Malicious destruction of bald eagle nest sites
or harassment of eagles should be reported to Growth &
Land Management or Wildlife Alert at 1-800-282-8002.
If you see a sick or injured eagle, please
report it to Growth & Land Management or C.R.O.W. (Clinic
for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) at 472-8544.
A special thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
for their assistance. |
