Bald Eagle

Federal Status: Not Listed

Description

The Bald Eagle was adopted as the symbol of the United States because of its independence and strength. One of the largest birds of prey (raptors) found in North America, Bald Eagles stand about 30 inches high, have a wingspan of 72-84 inches, and weigh 8 – 14 pounds.

The majestic bird is easily identified by its unmistakable dark brown body contrasting with a starkly white head and tail and bright yellow bill. Male and female eagles have identical plumage coloration, but differ in size, with the female weighing 1/3 more than the male. At 5 years of age, the Bald Eagle becomes sexually mature and the head and tail plumage is completely replaced with white feathers. The word bald in the eagle's name comes from a word in Old English that means white headed. The Genus name “Haliaeetus” is derived from Ancient Greek, which translates to “salt eagle” or “sea eagle”.

Immature Bald Eaglesare mostly chocolate brown with varying amounts of white over the body, tail, and underwings. Juvenile Bald Eagles are often mistaken for immature golden eagles, which are much less common in New York.

Despite their fierce image, Bald Eagles are actually quite timid and opportunistic. Their primary prey is fish; however, will take some mammals, waterfowl, and seabirds. They also take advantage of carrion (i.e., dead animals), especially during the winter when the ice is frozen and hunting is difficult.

Life History

The Bald Eagle is a long-lived bird, with a life span of more than 30 years. Bald Eagles mate for life, returning to nest in the same general area (within 250 miles) from which they fledged. Once a pair selects a nesting territory, they tend to use it for the rest of their lives.

Bald Eagles' aerial courtship is an acrobatic display showcasing their deft flight capabilities. A mating pair soars high in the sky, begins a dive, and interlocks talons while descending in a series of somersaults. Bald Eagles generally produce 1-2 offspring per year, called “eaglets”.. In New York, the young fledge by mid to late summer at about 12 weeks of age. By 20 weeks, the eaglets are largely independent and hunt for their own food.

A Bald Eagle nest is a large structure, usually located in the upper half of a live white pine tree. When the New York population was small, Bald Eagles typically nested only near water; however, as populations increased, they began to nest in trees more distant from water and closer to human habitation. The nest is reused every year, with the pair completing nest repair and enhancement (i.e., “decorating the nest”) by bringing sticks and adding them to an already large structure;  often, nests approach 8 or more feet deep, 6 feet across, and can weigh hundreds of pounds.

Distribution and Habitat

Bald Eagles are distributed throughout North America, and are currently found in every state except Hawaii. Eagles prefer undisturbed areas near large lakes and reservoirs, marshes and swamps, or stretches along rivers where they can find open water and their primary food, fish.

Historically, Bald Eagles nested in forests along the shorelines of oceans, lakes, or rivers throughout most of North America, often moving south during winter to areas with open (i.e., unfrozen) water. Prior to the 1900s, New York was home to as many as 80 nest sites, primarily in the northern and western parts of the state. Today, the species is distributed across New York.

Wintering areas across the species’ range extend from southern Canada south, along major river systems, in intermountain regions, and in the Great Plains. Many hydroelectric plants, including some in New York, provide wintering habitat for Bald Eagles.

Status

In the last century, reproductive impairment from pesticides (especially DDT) and heavy metals caused virtual extirpation (i.e., local extinction) of not only the few remaining Bald Eagles in New York, but in many other areas of their range. Persistent and toxic compounds in fish from contaminated waters built up to high levels in the eagles' bodies, interfering with the deposition of calcium in their eggshells, resulting in nonviableeggs.

Since the 1972 ban on DDT, populations of eagles and other birds of prey have recovered from contamination, and are once again thriving.

Management and Research Needs

The New York State Bald Eagle Restoration Project began in 1976 in an attempt to reestablish a breeding population through hacking (hand rearing to independence). Over a 13-year period, 198 nestling Bald Eagles were collected (mainly from Alaska), transported, and released in New York.

The hacking project was completed in 1989, when it accomplished its goal of establishing 10 breeding pairs. The Bald Eagle program's focus has now shifted to protecting nesting pairs using existing New York and federal regulations. Bald Eagles continue to do well; in 2010 New York had 173 breeding pairs which fledged 244 young across 224 nesting territories. Each year, New York's Bald Eagles fledge about 10 percent more young eagles than the year before. In 2020, New York documented 630 territories since the beginning of the restoration project. Of the territories that could be monitored, 256 were occupied, with 292 young.  The current number of active nests is so high that collection of productivity data has become unnecessary.

If you see someone harassing or injuring an eagle, if you observe destruction of an eagle nest tree or the area surrounding a nest, or if you find an injured or dead eagle, please report it immediately to DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement (1 844-DEC ECOS [1-844-332-3267]).

The Bald Eagle population has demonstrated resilience to human activities as it has continued to grow in distribution and numbers across New York and in the Northeast, USA. In 2025, it became necessary to update guidance based on new data demonstrating the success of eagle pairs even after projects expected to result in harm to the breeding pair were built.  The guidance below replaces  previous guidance found in the NYS Bald Eagle Conservation Plan (2015). The purpose of this table is to serve as a guide to evaluate projects for negative impacts to the Bald Eagle under 6NYCRR Part 182.  This guidance replaces previous guidance and is consistent with federal guidance by the USFWS.

Table 1. Guidance for review of projects potentially impacting Bald Eagles by activity type and project initiation timing. Under Activity in the left column, find the cell that your activity fits into and proceed to the right in a stepwise fashion until you reach a column with the heading Conditions for Avoidance Under Part 182 or Permit Required Under Part 182. If you end in a box with linked content, you must reach out to your Regional Permit Administrator’s Office for a jurisdictional determination under 6NYCRR Part 182. The link takes you to the Regional Permit Administrator contacts page.

¹The operation of any wind turbine facility has the potential to take Bald Eagles. These facilities must mitigate take as it occurs.