Fluency U4L4

If you are lucky, one day you will look up and see a

large, graceful bird soaring overhead. Maybe it will land

on top of a tall tree. If you are very lucky, you will see

the bird come back to its nest and chick. This bird is the

bald eagle, our national symbol.

The bald eagle is one of the largest birds in America.

It is a beautiful bird, but it is not bald. This kind of eagle

has white feathers on its head. The eagle’s name comes

from an old word. The word is piebald, and it means

“marked with white.”

Most people think that bald eagles hunt ground

animals or other birds. This is not true. Eagles like to eat

fish. This is why they live near water, and you are most

likely to spot them near rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

Bald eagles are rare. They are found only in America,

and there are not many of them. That is one reason why

we made the bald eagle our national bird.

We almost lost our bald eagles not too long ago

because they were in danger of becoming extinct.

Luckily, we were able to save them, and they are no

longer endangered.

Many people like the eagle as a symbol for our country.

They respect what the eagle stands for. It represents

freedom and strength for them.

Ben Franklin was not one of these people. He was not

a fan of the bald eagle and once wrote a letter to his

daughter about his feelings. In it, he said eagles robbed

other birds. He wanted the turkey to be the national bird.