The Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus - is a large bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird of the United States of America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous USA and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

The adult Bald Eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical but females are larger than males. The yellow beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown. Bald Eagles are not actually bald, the name derives from the older meaning of the word, "white headed".

In the late 20th century the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States, while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada. By the 1950s, there were only 417 breeding pairs in the contiguous United States. Bald eagles were officially declared an endangered species in 1967. They were driven to the edge of extinction due to hunting, habitat loss and DDT contamination of their prey and habitat. DDT was banned in the United States in 1972. Since then, populations have rebounded. Their status moved from “endangered” to “threatened” in 1995 and removed entirely from the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 2007.