Status: Delisted, except in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and a monitored species elsewhere.
Description: The bald eagle is a large bird with a wingspan of 6 to 7.5 feet (180-230 cm). Adults are dark brown with
a white head and tail and a large yellow beak. Immatures are dark with mottled white under the wings and at the base of the
tail. The feet of both adults and immatures are bare of feathers.
Life History: Bald eagles are long-lived birds and do not achieve full adult plumage for four or five years. Eagles
build their nests on the tops of tall trees or on cliffs. Nests can be six feet (180 cm) across and six to eight feet (180-250 cm)
high. A pair of eagles will use the same nest year after year. An active nest is one which was attended by a pair even if one
of the pair was immature. An inactive nest is one which was not attended by eagles during the year. A winter nest is one that was
attended by pairs that disappear at about the same time that the northern wintering eagles migrate north. A productive nest is
known to have fledged at least one young. In the southeastern United States, nesting activities may begin as early as September.
Typically, two eggs are laid and they hatch after about 35 days. Fledging may take as long as 12 weeks and parents may care
for their young for about four to six weeks after fledging. Fish are a major component of the bald eagle's diet, but bald eagles will
eat a variety of animals, including waterfowl, small mammals, and carrion.
Habitat: Bald eagles require large trees or cliffs near water with abundant fish for nesting. They winter along
oceans, rivers, lakes, or in areas where carrion is present.
Distribution: The bald eagle is found throughout North America. In Oklahoma, the bald eagle is primarily a winter resident and wintering eagles are most common between December and March. During that time, bald eagles congregate around reservoirs and larger rivers. Bald eagles also nest in Oklahoma and nesting pairs have increased from only one in 1981 to at least 30 active nests in recent years. Most nesting bald eagles are in eastern portions of the state, but new nesting pairs are discovered every year and their range in Oklahoma is expanding. Suitable nesting habitat is provided by reservoirs and rivers with large trees nearby for nesting and perching.
Causes of Decline: Bald eagles have declined in numbers due to pesticide-induced reproductive failure,
loss of riparian habitat, and human disturbances, such as shooting, poisoning, or trapping.
Recovery Needs: Recovery needs for the bald eagle population include continued protection and management
of their habitat, monitoring eagle populations, and re-establishing breeding populations throughout their historic range.
Other information: Through cooperative efforts to reestablish nesting eagles, more than 90 young bald eagles were released in Oklahoma in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Recovery efforts have been successful and bald eagle populations are increasing in Oklahoma and nationwide. The bald eagle was downlisted from endangered to threatened in 1995 and proposed for delisting on July 6, 1999. The bald eagle is still considered a threatened species until a final decision is made for delisting and a final rule is published in the Federal Register. Bald eagles are provided additional protection by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
