Male, 32, 70. Female, 38, 84.
From Pennsylvania northward. Never seen far in the interior. Resident.
Falco fulvus, Bonap. Syn. p. 25.
Aquila Chrysaetos, Golden Eagle, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 12.
Ring-tailed Eagle, Falco fulvus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. v. vii. p. 13.
Royal or Golden Eagle, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 62.
Golden Eagle, Falco Chrysaetos, Aud. Ornith. Biog. v. ii. p. 464.
GENUS IV. HALIAETUS, Savigny. SEA-EAGLE.
Bill rather short, very deep, compressed; upper mandible with the dorsal outline nearly straight at the base, beyond the cere decurved, the sides sloping, the edges nearly straight, with a slight obtuse process, and a shallow sinus close to the strong trigonal tip; lower mandible, with the dorsal outline slightly convex, the tip obliquely truncate. Head large, oblong, flattened above. Nostrils oblong, oblique, near the ridge. Neck of moderate length. Body very large. Feet rather short, very robust; tarsi roundish, covered anteriorly with the transverse scutella, posteriorly with large, laterally with small scales; toes robust, free, scutellate above; claws large, curved, rounded, flat beneath, acuminate. Plumage compact, imbricated; feathers of the head and neck narrow and pointed; space between the bill and eye barish, being sparsely covered with bristle-like feathers, disposed in a radiating manner. Wings long, the second and third quills longest, the outer five cut out abruptly on the inner web. Tail rather long, rounded. Duodenum convoluted.
13. 1. Haliaetus Washingtoni, Aud. Washington Sea-Eagle.
Plate XI. Male.
Tarsus and toes uniformly scutellate in their whole length. Bill bluish-black, cere yellowish-brown, feet orange-yellow, claws bluish-black. Upper part of the head, hind neck, back, scapulars, rump, tail-coverts, and posterior tibial feathers blackish-brown, glossed with a coppery tint; throat, fore-neck, breast, and belly light brownish-yellow, each feather with a central blackish-brown streak; wing-coverts light greyish-brown, those next the body becoming darker; primary quills dark brown, deeper on their inner webs; secondaries lighter, and on their outer webs of nearly the same light tint as their coverts; tail uniform dark brown.
Male, 43, 122.
From Louisiana northward. Exceedingly rare. The specimen figured procured in Kentucky. One seen in Labrador.