The National Eagle Center is home to five rescued eagles, four bald eagles and one golden eagle. Each of these birds was found injured in the wild and treated for their injuries. Even after rehabilitation none of them would be able to survive in the wild. Fortunately, they have found a home at the National Eagle Center where they have become ambassadors for their wild cousins.
Down The Hatch
Few sounds symbolize American patriotism like the piercing shrill of a bald eagle. But just like George Washington and his cherry tree, that majestic call – is a myth. The screech associated with the bald eagle, in fact, belongs to a different bird. It’s a cry that’s synonymous with America’s national bird. But there’s a problem. If you were to look up at the bird making that sound in real life you wouldn’t see a bald eagle. Unfortunately for the bald eagle, it has like a little cackling type of a laugh that’s not really very impressive for the bird.
The hole in the tongue is not for swallowing, it’s for breathing. The bird trachea (wind pipe) comes up through the tongue. The esophogus is behind that. This is very functional, actually. The eagle’s tongue also has sort of a barb on it. When they are swallowing something large, like a fish, they will stick out their tongue so the barbs go past the morsel, then pull their tongue back in. The tips of the barb will pull the food back into their throat, where it can be swallowed. If an eagle’s windpipe were behind the tongue like a human, they wouuld be unable to breath with a large piece of prey or whole fish in their their throat. A situation like that is where the tongue comes into play. They will stick out their tongues to allow the barbs to get the bite of food, but while the tongue is extended, they will open the hole in their tongue to take a breath of air.
Down The Hatch – Art Prints, Canvas and Framed
Primary Colors
Print Sales
Down The Hatch – Photograph
Golden Eagle
Meet Donald. Donald is the first Golden Eagle Ambassador and we are proud to have both eagle species that are native to North America represented at the National Eagle Center.
Donald came to the National Eagle Center after being treated at the California Raptor Center. He had been hit by a car near the town of Placerville, CA, breaking his right wing in two places. Donald is no longer able to sustain flight.
We are unsure of Donald’s exact age. His fully adult plumage suggests he was at least five years of age when he was injured, so he hatched sometime before 2002.
Donald arrived at the National Eagle Center on January 8, 2008 and was named for the Donald Weesner Charitable Trust, whose generous donation made his arrival and training possible. During his first year, he continued to be bashful among the other eagles and with guests. He often spent the day looking only at the murals with quick glances toward people. Today, Donald often displays quite relaxed postures in the mews.
Golden eagles can be found around the world in the northern hemisphere, and Donald’s presence at the National Eagle Center has ignited new interest in understanding the life and habitat of golden eagles.
Golden Eagle – Art Prints, Canvas and Framed
Primary Colors
Print Sales
Golden Eagle – Photograph
Eagle With An Attitude
The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds are not really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection.
The Bald Eagle dwarfs most other raptors, including the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. It has a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill. In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board.
Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
