Lone eaglet, who's now 10 weeks old, will soon fly from PA bald eagle's nest

May 2024 · 2 minute read

The Pennsylvania bald eagle pair’s eaglet, who was once an “adorable fluffball,” is ready to take flight any day now, according to Raptor Ecology Specialist Zoey Greenburg.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has been partnering with HDOnTAP and Comcast Business to offer a live look at the Hanover eagles' nest in York County.

You can view the livestream by clicking here.

The lone eaglet is now 10 weeks old, and bald eagles generally fledge, or take flight, between 8 and 14 weeks, Greenburg wrote in the Hanover Eagle Blog.

She says the young raptor has reached 95% of its mature size, has been stretching its wings and hopping around the nest.

If it doesn’t soon leave the nest on its own, its parents may force it to do so, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

Don’t worry though, once it leaves the nest, it will still depend on its parents for food for up to 6 weeks, she adds.

The bald eagle pair laid two eggs back in February – the first eaglet hatched in March, but the second egg was deemed nonviable.

The Game Commission says bald eagles are no longer considered endangered or threatened, but they’re still protected and one of the main dangers they face is lead in the environment.

People can help reduce the threat by choosing non-lead ammunition when hunting or by burying carcasses and gut piles, so they’re not eaten.

Overall, there are more than 300 nests in Pennsylvania today, the game commission says.

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