eagles {may 6, 2022}

Dayton, Ohio. 

Home of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Starting in 2018, home to Orv and Willa, pair-bonded eagles residing at Carillon Historical Park. Orv and Willa are parents to nine previous eaglets and this year added two more to their family tree.

I have been following Orv and Willa through the Facebook group, Carillon Eagle Friends, and have learned so much about these birds of prey. 

Did you know...

Despite their name, bald eagles are actually not bald at all. The word “bald” is an archaic old world reference from the word “piebald”, meaning marked with white.

The most obvious differences between  male and female bald eagles are their size. Females are usually a third of the size larger than males. Females tend to weigh between ten to fifteen pounds more. Females will typically have a wingspan of up to eight feet. Whereas the males weigh between five to ten pounds less, with a wingspan reaching up to six feet.

This characteristic of the females being  larger can be seen in all birds of prey. The scientific term for this  size phenomenon is known as “reverse sexual size dimorphism.” The females do the majority of the incubation when it comes to nesting, and the males do the hunting. The size difference fits perfectly for their duties; males’ smaller, sleeker body enables them to be slightly better hunters and the females’ larger size allows her to sit for longer  periods on the nest. The larger size in females is also a great deterrent for predators approaching the nest.

Another notable fact among bald eagle females is their dominant personality and protective nature. Bald eagles have a monogamous mating system. These birds mate for life, many times  not even choosing another mate when one of the pair passes on.

The eaglets are expected to fly from the nest around June 6. Their names are Kittyhawk and Skye. The first to fly will be named Kittyhawk.

And now some photos of Dayton's first eagle family and their little ones. None of the photos are mine. They come from the group of eagle experts and photographers who document daily the lives of this family.