“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The crowd roared.  I was sitting in my seat preparing to watch the bald eagle fight the peregrine falcon at Bird Stadium.  Bird stadium is a place where you can bet which bird will win the fight and then watch from your seat.  The whole situation was tense.  I was deciding on who to bet when I thought maybe I should do some research on the two animals.  I grabbed my iPhone and looked up the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle.  Most people thought these two birds were the same, but I thought I could find a few differences.

COMPARISON:

BALD EAGLE AND PEREGRINE FALCON 

Physical appearance

The physical traits of the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon are very different.  The bald eagle has a body with an average length of 36 in. and an average wingspan length of 85 in..  The peregrine falcon is much smaller. Its average length is 14 in. with an average wingspan length of 40 in..  The bald eagle is covered mostly with brown featherers except for its white head and tail.  The peregrine, however, falcon has a gray back with a black and white striped underbelly.  Both the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle have talons with which they can catch prey efficiently.  They are also similar in that they both have a short curved beak.  The talons and the beaks of these birds help them to be fierce predators. 

Diet

The diet of the bald eagle is somewhat different then that of the peregrine falcon.  The bald eagle eats mostly fish, but also small birds every now and then.  It will swoop down at high speeds and snatch a fish out of the water.  The peregrine falcon, on the other hand, has a diet that mainly consists of partridges and other small birds.  If it sees a bird there is no way that thing is going to escape.  It has the ability to dive at speeds of up to 180 miles per hour!   After capturing a bird it flies to its perch and eats it.  The bald eagle usually brings its caught food to its nest and eats there.  Eagles will also feed on carrion.

Habitat

The bald eagle is most commonly found near the ocean for dietary reasons.  It moves around an area of coast staying relatively close to its nest which can be found at the top of a tall tree of telephone pole.  The peregrine falcon prefers a woodland habitat where it make its nest on the ground.  It goes around the woods seeking food.  Both the eagle and the falcon are uncommon to see in the wild.  Additionally, perigrine falcons can be found perched on large buildings in the city or swooping down at a pigeon in a quiet street.

After having read this article I realized that the bald eagle was larger and stronger but the peregrine falcon was much faster.  I put away my PDA and went over to the betting table.  I decided to chose my favorite of the two: the peregrine falcon.