Bald Eagles
Updated: January 30, 2026
Bald Eagles
In 1978 bald eagles throughout the lower 48 states were classified as endangered. The bald eagle was in serious danger of becoming extinct. Harmful chemicals such as the pesticide DDT had affected the reproduction of eagles by causing their eggshells to become thin and break, and excessive hunting and the destruction of eagle habitat also played major roles in the decline of the species.
In the past few decades the bald eagle has made a tremendous comeback, its populations greatly improving in numbers. On July 12, 1995 the status of the bald eagle was changed from endangered species to a threatened one in the lower 48 states, and on June 28, 2007 it was officially removed (?delisted?) from the federal Endangered Species List because it had recovered so well. At the lowest point in 1963, biologists could find only 417 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states; by 2007 there were nearly 10,000 nesting pairs, and a 2020 estimate found about 71,400 nesting pairs and roughly 316,700 individual bald eagles in the lower 48. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from people across the nation?banning DDT, protecting nests, and guarding important habitats. There is still work to be done, but the bald eagle is now truly soaring toward recovery!
Each year bald eagles return to Montana in good numbers to find open water and fish along the Missouri River and major reservoirs. At Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena, fall migrating eagles once gathered by the hundreds to feed on spawning kokanee salmon and salmon carcasses below the dam; similar gatherings have been recorded at other dams and lakes when food is plentiful. When bald eagles find food in abundance, such as spawning fish or winter?killed waterfowl, they often linger to feast and other migrating eagles may spot them and join the ?eagle crowd,? turning one good fishing spot into a sky full of circling birds.
The bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America. It ranges over most of the continent from the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada down to northern Mexico. Not all eagles migrate, but many bald eagles from Canada and Alaska fly south through places like Montana every year. Generally the eagles follow seasonal food supplies. As lakes and streams freeze over, bald eagles must fly south to find open freshwater or head toward coasts and big rivers where they can still catch fish or find dead animals to eat.
One of the largest raptors, the bald eagle is about 3 feet from head to tail with a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet, yet it only weighs between about 8 and 14 pounds (females are larger than males). Eagle bones are light because they are hollow. The skeleton weighs only a few ounces to about half a pound and is about 5 or 6 percent of its total weight, while the feathers together can weigh twice as much. The bald eagle?s name comes from an old English word ?balde? that means white, not hairless. Their heads, necks and tails have white feathers. Young bald eagles are hard to identify because their white head and tail feathers don't appear until they are about five years old, so kids sometimes mistake them for big dark ?mystery hawks.?
Bald eagles are powerful fliers that can reach flight speeds between about 35 and 44 miles per hour and can soar for hours on end using rising columns of warm air. These strong fliers have roughly 7,000 feathers. A perched eagle will sit in a tree and preen itself by nibbling on a special oil gland above its tail and smoothing the oil over its feathers to keep water from soaking through to the down feathers, which protect the eagle?s skin and keep the bird warm.
Eagles make very large nests, which they add to every year. Some nests may reach 10 feet across and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds?about as heavy as a small car! They build their nests at the tops of tall trees or sometimes on cliffs or human?made structures close to water where they can catch fish to feed their young. A female bald eagle will usually lay two or three eggs in the nest each year after reaching adulthood, and both parents take turns keeping the eggs warm.
All eagles are renowned for their excellent eyesight and the bald eagle is no exception. While in flight bald eagles are capable of seeing fish in the water from several hundred feet above. An eagle's eye is almost as large as a human's but its sharpness is at least four times that of a human with perfect vision, and eagles, like all birds, have color vision and can even see some ultraviolet light that people cannot.
The bald eagle is a beautiful and fascinating animal, and its recovery is one of the biggest conservation success stories in the United States. But even though it is no longer listed as endangered or threatened, it is still protected by laws such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which make it illegal to kill, harass, or disturb eagles and their nests without special permits. Please protect and respect our national symbol, the bald eagle, by giving it space, keeping its waters clean, and enjoying it with binoculars instead of getting too close.
Updated: January 30, 2026
