Legs not feathered to the toes. Adults with white head and tail. Young birds similar in color to those of the [Golden Eagle], but blacker and with the legs always bare on the lower half. Young, with brown eyes, like those of the last; adults with yellow eyes and feet. This handsome bird of prey, our national emblem, is resident and locally distributed throughout the United States and Canada, always near streams or lakes, and most abundant on the seacoasts. Their food, like that of the [Golden Eagle], is chiefly caught by themselves, and consists of any small mammals, geese, ducks, etc., and during the summer, or when their usual food is scarce, they feed upon fish, which they either catch for themselves or taken by force from Ospreys.
Nest.—Of sticks large and bulky, and usually in tops of very tall trees; two eggs, pure white (2.75 × 2.10).
Range.—Resident locally in whole of North America.
WHITE GRYFALCON
353. Falco islandus. 23 in.
Adults in perfect plumage, pure white, slightly barred on the back and spotted below with black.
Nest.—Of sticks, lined with grasses and feathers; placed on ledges of cliffs; eggs bulky white, specked with reddish brown, often so thickly that the ground color is obscured (2.30 × 1.80).
Range.—Arctic region, breeding in Northern Greenland, and wintering to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and casually to northern Maine.