Description
A day in the life of the Bald Eagle is filled with activity from dusk until dawn and beyond. From the moment it awakens, the eagle is at work—tending to its nest, soaring high, hunting, feeding its young, and taking pause to eat and rest. Now, while he is at rest, let’s take a moment to study this apex hunter’s fearsome countenance.
Dominated by a massive, sharply curved yellow beak, the adult eagle’s distinctive head is covered to the neck with long, smooth white feathers. The arrangement of the feathers above its large golden eyes gives the adult eagle a frowning appearance that is perhaps a factor in the bird’s symbolic associations with power. The most important attribute on this iconic head, however, is the eyes. It is this gifted vision that empowers the eagle to spot relatively small prey underwater or in grassy plains while soaring hundreds of metres in the air—despite these prey animals’ natural camouflage.
The amazing Bald Eagle—Haliaeetus leucocephalus—is Canada’s largest bird of prey and the only eagle exclusive to North America.
An eagle’s vision is about four times more powerful than that of humans.
Eagles see in full colour.
Eagle eyes have two focal centres, allowing the bird to see both in front and behind in a single glance.
Translucent nictitating membranes allow an eagle to “blink” without disrupting its gaze.
Females are generally larger than males.
This long-lived bird can survive nearly 30 years in the wild and even longer in captivity.
Bald Eagles nest across much of Canada, from Yukon eastward to Newfoundland. They are most common along the Pacific coast, but concentrations also occur in the prairie provinces, northwestern Ontario, parts of Quebec, and on Cape Breton Island.
Bald Eagles are protected in Canada and the United States.
The Bald Eagle breathes through “naris” or nostrils on each side of its large beak. The beak itself, though impressive in size and shape, is used almost exclusively for tearing food and does not play a major role in hunting or fighting—the tasks of the bird’s massive talons.
An apex predator with no natural enemies as an adult, the Bald Eagle has long been a potent symbol of vision, power, and stoicism. The adult boasts a wing span of more than 2 metres, a standing height of about 1 metre, and an average weight of up to 7 kilograms. Nesting in tall trees near large bodies of water and well away from human habitation, Bald Eagles survive on a diet of fish, birds, invertebrates, and small mammals, but are opportunistic feeders who will also steal from other predators and eat carrion.
Our previous Bald Eagle series sold out quickly. Don’t miss out, order yours today!
Special features:
Your proof-quality coin is part of the Royal Canadian Mint’s 2014 five-coin series of fine silver, gold, and platinum coins featuring four “day in the life” scenes of the iconic Bald Eagle.
On your coin, the eagle is highlighted in selective gold plating as it lands on a perch to eat the day’s catch, set against a skillfully engraved silver background.
Collect the entire series to complete the story of a day in the life of the great Bald Eagle as it rests, soars, hunts, and returns to its perch with the day’s food.
Your coin is certified 99.99% pure silver with selective gold-plating, is GST/HST exempt and has a limited worldwide mintage.
Design:
Your coin was designed by Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo and features a Bald Eagle, wings extended to their full span, standing on the branch of a pine tree. The eagle is viewed in profile from its left side, the details of its impressive wings and distinctive snowy head and tail rendered in dimensional detail by Royal Canadian Mint engravers and augmented with selective gold plating. In its powerful left claw, the eagle clutches a freshly caught fish. In the background, stylized clouds nod to the extreme heights at which the Bald Eagle prefers to perch and nest.
