Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a massive, iconic bird of prey and the national bird of the United States, closely associated with lakes, rivers, and coastlines across North America. Adults are unmistakable, with a gleaming white head and tail contrasting against a chocolate-brown body, a large yellow hooked bill, and piercing yellow eyes.

Immature Bald Eagles look completely different, appearing mostly dark brown mottled with white in irregular patches, and do not acquire the full white head and tail until roughly four to five years of age, leading many young eagles to be misidentified as Golden Eagles.

Key field marks

• Adult: solid white head and tail against a dark brown body
• Massive yellow bill and yellow eyes
• Huge, broad, plank-like wings held flat when soaring
• Immatures: mottled brown and white, taking 4-5 years to reach adult plumage

Similar species

Golden Eagle has a uniformly dark body at all ages, golden nape feathering, and feathered legs down to the toes (Bald Eagle's lower legs are bare); immature Bald Eagles show more white mottling in the underwing linings and body than Golden Eagles, and typically have a larger, straighter bill.

Habitat

Strongly tied to water, Bald Eagles are found along lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and coastlines that provide abundant fish, along with large trees or cliffs nearby for nesting and roosting.

Range

Found throughout North America, from Alaska and Canada south through the continental United States into northern Mexico. Populations in the far north migrate south in winter to find open water, while birds in milder regions may remain year-round. After being nearly wiped out in the lower 48 states by the pesticide DDT and other pressures, Bald Eagle populations have rebounded dramatically since DDT was banned and legal protections were enacted, leading to its removal from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2007.

Behavior

Bald Eagles are powerful, opportunistic hunters and scavengers, often stealing prey from other birds (including Osprey) in a behavior called kleptoparasitism, and gathering in large numbers at seasonal fish runs or carrion sources.

Voice

Despite its powerful appearance, the Bald Eagle's actual call is a series of relatively weak, high-pitched chirping and cackling notes, quite different from the dramatic scream often used to represent it in media (which is usually a Red-tailed Hawk call).

Feeding and nesting

Feeds primarily on fish, caught by swooping down to snatch prey from near the water's surface with its talons, supplemented by waterfowl, carrion, and small mammals. Builds one of the largest nests of any bird species, a massive stick platform reused and enlarged over many years, sometimes reaching several meters across and weighing over a ton.