A majestic bird swoops down, snatches its prey, then soars into the clouds. It is a bald eagle, one of North America's largest hunting birds.

For centuries the bald eagle has been a symbol of majesty, strength, and freedom. In 1782 it became the official emblem of the United States. Yet now this fierce hunter is in danger of extinction.

Gail Gibbons's thoroughly researched text and dramatic illustrations present the bald eagle in all its grandeur -- hunting, courting, nesting, and hatching -- with fascinating facts and statistics about this remarkable winged predator and the efforts to save it.