Ranges from Alaska and Canada through the contiguous United States to northern Mexico. It nests near waters offering food, perches and large trees capable of supporting heavy nests; some northern populations migrate seasonally while many southern pairs remain resident. [1]
Females are larger, with wingspans up to about 2.4 m and mass around 6.4 kg; males may span 1.8 m and weigh about 4.5 kg. Northern birds tend to be larger than southern birds. [1]
Adults have dark brown bodies, white heads and tails, yellow bills and feet, and pale eyes. Birds under roughly five years are mottled brown-white with darker bills and eyes and can resemble golden eagles; wing shape, unfeathered lower legs and head-bill proportions help separate them. [1]
Forward-oriented vision supports depth judgement, the hooked bill tears food and curved talons hold slippery fish. Broad wings exploit rising air to conserve energy; immense nests are reinforced annually but require genuinely load-bearing trees or structures. [1]
Behaviour and ecology
A visual hunter that searches from perches or soaring flight, strikes prey and may row with its wings when a catch is too heavy. Breeding territories are defended, yet large communal winter roosts occur; stealing food from other birds is also a normal foraging strategy. [1]
Diet
Fish are the staple, but the species is opportunistic and also takes carrion, waterbirds, turtles, snakes, rabbits and small animals. High position in aquatic food webs exposes eagles to biomagnified pollutants such as DDT, which historically thinned eggshells. [1]
Reproduction and life cycle
Pairs generally maintain long bonds, breed from about 4–5 years and reuse large nests across years. They usually lay 1–3 eggs annually; incubation lasts about 35 days, young fly at roughly three months and remain dependent for another 4–6 weeks. [1]
Ecosystem role
As an apex predator and scavenger, the eagle connects aquatic and terrestrial systems by carrying fish ashore, redistributing nutrients and removing carrion. Its reproductive health can also signal persistent contamination in aquatic food webs. [1]
Threats & conservation
Collisions, electrocution, lead from ammunition or tackle, poisoning, nest-tree loss and breeding disturbance still cause mortality. USFWS prohibits import or export of bald eagles, their parts, nests or eggs; DinoJura does not treat this species as a commercial sourcing target and uses the profile for conservation education only. [1,3,4]
Reviewed 26 September 2026: IUCN/BirdLife records LC. The United States delisted the species from the ESA in 2007 after recovery, but the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act still protect birds, nests and eggs; CITES Appendix II does not weaken those national prohibitions.5 sourced facts
Species in five facts
Young birds do not acquire the full white head and tail until about five years old. [1]
Only 417 nesting pairs were known in 1963; the 2018–2019 estimate was 71,467 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states. [1]
Nests are commonly 1.2–1.5 m wide and may grow far larger after years of reuse. [1]
A clutch usually has 1–3 eggs that hatch after about 35 days. [1]
Although removed from the ESA list, the species remains protected by multiple US federal laws. [1]
Sources
[1] U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Bald eagle[2] BirdLife DataZone — Bald eagle[3] IUCN Red List species search[4] CITES Appendices effective 5 March 2026