Eagle Survival - Ecological Niche
In the grand design of nature, each creature, plant, and inanimate object plays a necessary role. That role or function in nature is called an ecological niche. Within the larger design, smaller environments, called ecosystems, function as wholes. Each member of an ecosystem contributes to the well-being of the small environment as well as to the larger design. An ecosystem is defined as "a system made up of a community of animals, plants, bacteria and the physical and chemical environment with which it is related." The word ecology refers to the branch of biology that deals with the relations between living organisms and their environment.

The bald eagle's function in its ecosystem is to contribute to a law of nature termed by Darwin and other naturalists, "the survival of the fittest". This law states that only the strong will survive to bring its offspring into the world. The bald eagle enforces this law by preying on slower, weaker, or injured members of its ecosystem. Though many may view this role as distasteful, in fact, the bald eagle performs a vital sanitation service for its ecosystem.

The following humorous Interview with a Bald Eagle reported by Stephen Fretwell (1981) describes the eagle's function in its ecosystem. A bald eagle and a reporter meet. The reporter asks the eagle,"Wouldn't you be a better symbol for us if you hunted live prey and didn't feed on carrion?" The eagle replied:
"Actually, the fellows who made me your symbol were more right than they knew...a fish dies and is washed up on shore. It looks bad and smells worse, is good for nothing, despised by all. I come and eat it and turn that fish (if you'll forgive my immodesty) into a soaring wonder, a majestic greatness that stirs the heart of creatures everywhere, including men. Isn't that true for America, too? America was built by religious rejects, crooks, and poor people. All human waste, all looking bad and smelling worse, despised by all. This country consumed these people...and made them into a nation...Like me, you...took the waste of the world and made something wonderful."


Reference
Fretwell, Stephen (1981). "Interview with a Bald Eagle." The Bird Watch. Bird Populations Institute; Kansas State University: Manhattan, Kansas.