The Conversation
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
Eaglets Grow in Hays Nest, Just Weeks After Hatching
Just three weeks after two eaglets hatched in Hays, PA it is easy to see how much they've grown!
The chicks are spending more time on their own in the nest, as the parents leave to hunt for food. But don't worry, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania says there will always be one of the adult birds nearby, keeping a close watch. And they need plenty of food--the baby eaglets eat nearly their entire body weight each day. In fact, one of the biggest dangers eaglets face early in life is a lack of food. But ASWP Executive Director Jim Bonner says the reason the adult eagles lay their eggs in February is so they hatch in spring when food is most available. Additionally, this gives the young eagles time to learn to hunt before temperatures drop again in the fall.
The eaglets will start to learn how to fly and fend for themselves. In 2018, when one chick hatched around the same time in March, it fledged in mid-June.
While you'll notice that the eaglets' color has darkened considerably in the last few weeks, the Audubon Society says they won't develop the white feathering around their head until they are four or five years old.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are at least 9,789 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the contiguous United States. Bald eagles were removed from the federal government's list of endangered species in 1995 and the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 2007.
