Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald Eagle Image by David Brandes

The 10-year migration count trends for the Bald Eagle suggest a mix of increasing and stable population across North America with 56% of sites showing significant increases in counts and 43% of the sites reported stable counts (no statistically supported increase or decrease) during this span. Regional populations observed a mix of increasing and stable counts in the East, increasing population in the Central Region, and stable or increasing population in the West and Gulf (see pie charts and trend maps below). 20-year count trends (not shown) similarly show increased counts (East Region: 3 stable, 22 increase; Central Region: 2 increase; West Region: 2 stable, 2 increase, 1 decrease; Gulf Region: 1 increase). Hawk Ridge, Minnesota, has the highest average count of bald eagles for the 10-year period, 5,190, and has showed a continued increase in recent counts.

Winter survey data from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) confirm an increasing 10-year trend continent-wide with the annual percent change in population reported to be an increase of almost 4%. The Bald Eagle is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List throughout its range, but it is still vulnerable to threats such as energy development, nest disturbance, lead poisoning, disease, and electrocution.

Bald Eagle, North America

2009-2019 (n=72)

Bald Eagle, East

2009-2019 (n=57)

Bald Eagle, Gulf

2009-2019 (n=2)

Bald Eagle, Central

2009-2019 (n=6)

Bald Eagle, West

2009-2019 (n=7)

Please cite this page as:
D. Oleyar, D. Ethier, L. Goodrich, D. Brandes, R. Smith, J. Brown, and J. Sodergren. 2021. The Raptor Population Index: 2019 Analyses and Assessments.

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