Bald Eagle

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One Bald Eagle calls the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo home. Keep reading to learn about their history and species!

Bald Eagle Fun Facts

  • Adult bald eagles measure from 30-40 inches from head to tail. They have up to a 7-8 foot wingspan. The female is larger than the male! 
  • Bald eagles head and tail turn white when they reach 4-5 years old. 
  • Bald eagle populations in the Mid-Atlantic have risen sharply in the last 10 years as a result of long-term conservation efforts.
  • Both male and females help build the nest, but the female typically selects the tree where it will be built. 
  • Males repeatedly return to the same nest year after year. Some nests can reach up to 10 feet across and weigh up to 2000 pounds.

Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Bald Eagle

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Sequoia

Sequoia was hatched in British Columbia on April 1988, in a nest on Swanson Island (north of Vancouver island). The area was targeted as a collecting site for bald eagles for relocation to California as part of an endangered species recovery effort. Sequoia was relocated from her nest on June 30 by the Ventana Wilderness Sanctuary Association and placed in a re-introduction program. Soon, Sequoia and other eagles migrated north where she stayed in the Bay Area, then headed north and toward the coast. 

Sequoia was found by George and Marie Brown on their ranch near Ferndale, CA, on October 7th, 1988 and taken to the Arcata Animal hospital. She was the victim of a small caliber bullet and was sadly deemed non-releasable because her tail was paralyzed. 

The SF Zoo accepted Sequoia as an ambassador for their bald eagle breeding program. She has been on the cover of magazines, in nature documentaries, and to countless educational programs throughout the state. 

Sequoia became an ambassador for the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo in October 2012. Year round she is taken to events and makes frequent public appearances! On most Wednesdays and Saturdays, Dennis the caretaker, brings Sequoia out to the California Dinosaur Garden to talk about her fascinating life!

 

 

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