9781422287439

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Bald eagles have great eyesight.Their eyes are four to eight times sharper than a human’s. The bald eagle can be found in a variety of habitats, from rugged, forested Arctic coasts to the dry, hot deserts of the Baja peninsula in northern Mexico. In the wild, bald eagles may live 25 years or longer; captive birds have lived as long as 47 years.

Like a Thunderbolt

W hen astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins named their lunar spacecraft Eagle, they select- ed a bird that had represented the spirit of America for some 200 years. Other cultures far older than America’s had admired eagles as well. In Greek mythology, the eagle was said to represent the god Zeus. In ancient Rome, images of eagles were emblazoned on the shields of warriors. Over the centuries, rulers in France, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary adopted eagles as their symbols. The birds revered by warriors, kings, and poets were golden eagles. They are large, fierce birds with mostly dark brown feathers, although the feathers near the

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