Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernOmnivoreWetlandPlatform nestHuge · 4.7 kg

What the Bald Eagle sounds like

Sonogram of the Bald Eagle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Rachel Thurman · Call · Riverside Rotary Park (near Juneau), Juneau City and Borough, Alaska, United States · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Bald Eagle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Call · Ingonish Island, Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Bald Eagle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Diana Doyle · Kangaroo Lake, Gazelle, Siskiyou County, California, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The plumage of an adult bald eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species, in that females are 25% larger than males. The beak, feet and irises are bright yellow. The legs are feather free, and the toes are short and powerful with large talons. The highly developed talon of the hind toe is used to pierce the vital areas of prey while it is held immobile by the front toes. The beak is large and hooked, with a yellow cere.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Bald Eagle

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Bald Eagle

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 6 countries with regular records, and 6 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Cuba, Japan, United Kingdom.

About the Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle, which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the Palearctic. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Bald Eagle vs White-tailed Eagle · Bald Eagle vs Steller's Sea Eagle · Bald Eagle vs Pallas's Fish Eagle

Watch the Bald Eagle on live cams

Big Bear Bald Eagle NestBig Bear Lake, California, USA · Friends of Big Bear Valley
SuperBeaks Bald Eagle NestCentral Florida, USA · SuperBeaks
Kisatchie National Forest Eagle CamsKisatchie National Forest, Louisiana, USA · KNF Cams / US Forest Service
Dulles Greenway Eagle CamLeesburg, Virginia, USA · Dulles Greenway
Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle CamJuneau, Alaska, USA · Glacier Gardens
Hancock Wildlife Eagle CamsBritish Columbia, Canada · Hancock Wildlife Foundation
Glen Hazel (Hays) Bald Eagle CamPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA · PixCams
Decorah Eagles stream previewLIVE
Decorah EaglesDecorah, Iowa, USA · Raptor Resource Project on explore.org
Decorah North Eagles stream previewLIVE
Decorah North EaglesDecorah, Iowa, USA · Raptor Resource Project on explore.org
Trempealeau Eagles stream previewLIVE
Trempealeau EaglesTrempealeau, Wisconsin, USA · Raptor Resource Project on explore.org
West End Bald Eagles, Catalina IslandCatalina Island, California, USA · Institute for Wildlife Studies on explore.org
Southwest Florida Eagle CamNorth Fort Myers, Florida, USA · Pritchett Real Estate
Redding Bald Eagles (Guardian and Liberty)Redding, California, USA · Friends of the Redding Eagles
Dale Hollow Eagle CamDale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, USA · Dale Hollow Eagle Camera
Berry College Eagles stream previewRETURNS NOVEMBER
Berry College EaglesRome, Georgia, USA · Berry College
Window to Wildlife CamsFlorida, USA · Window to Wildlife
Mississippi River Flyway Cam stream previewLIVE
Mississippi River Flyway CamUpper Mississippi River, USA · Raptor Resource Project on explore.org

Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.

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