Bald Eagles at Knoebels
Amusement Park
Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg
Pennsylvania currently has two Bald Eagles on
exhibition with permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. The two Bald Eagles are named Henry and Hattie in
memory of the founders of Knoebels Park. Henry, the male, smaller of the
2 eagles,
weighs 7 lbs and is missing part of a wing and has a leg
injury. Hattie, the female, weighs 9 lbs and suffers the
loss of her right wing and can not fly. The following
is transcribed from a posted description above the exhibit
at Knoebels.
Everyone knows the Bald Eagle as the symbol
of the United States. Haliaeetus leucocephalus, the
scientific name of the Bald Eagle, is an important indicator
of the health of our shared ecosystem. Because the eagle
sits at the top of long complex food chains, it is one of
the first creatures to let us know when our natural
environment is in trouble. Declines in the numbers of eagles
alerted scientists to the danger of DDT in our recent past.
Conservation efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Congress have
helped the Bald Eagle begin an important comeback.
Bald
eagles inhabit lakes, rivers, marshes and seacoasts. Their
normal diet consists of fish, dead fish, and any wild animal
which they are capable of catching or which has died in
their riparian habitats. they are primarily scavengers. They
do not attack people and never carry off babies as old
wives' tales suggest.
The female bald eagle is larger than the male,
weighing 10 to 14 pounds. The faster male tips the scales
somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds. Wingspans begin at 6
feet. The sharp talons, used to capture their food, can
deliver from 500 to 1000 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Eagles mate for life. They produce
2 to 3 eggs which hatch asynchronously. If food supplies
allow, all eagles will fledge at about 8 weeks of age.
The eagles are full grown at this time. They are adorned
in a dark brown plumage which will take 4 to 6 years to evolve
into the more familiar white head and tail of the adult birds.
The most serious threat to bald eagles is loss
of habitat due to increasing human population.
Knoebels is proud to be able to build this
habitat and bring these majestic symbols of our nation here to
the pleasure and edification of our guests.
