1. ECOS
2. Species Profile for Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Listing Status:   

General Information

A large raptor, the bald eagle has a wingspread of about 7 feet. Adults have a dark brown body and wings, white head and tail, and a yellow beak. Juveniles are mostly brown with white mottling on the body, tail, and undersides of wings. Adult plumage usually is obtained by the 6th year. In flight, the Bald Eagle often soars or glides with the wings held at a right angle to the body. As in most other raptors, females are larger than males; sexes otherwise similar in appearance.

References for Species Profile

• Anthony, R. G., R. L. Knight, G. T. Allen, B. R. McClelland, and J. L. Hodges. 1982.Habitat use by nesting and roosting Bald Eagles in the Pacific Northwest. Trans. N.A. Wildl. Nat. Resour. Conf. 47:332-342.
• Broley, C. L. 1947. Migration and nesting of Florida Bald Eagles. Wilson Bull. 59:1-68.
• Buehler, D. A., T. J. Mersmann, J. D. Fraser, and J. K. D. Seegar. 1991. Nonbreeding Bald Eagle communal and solitary roosting behavior and habitat use on the northern Chesapeake Bay. J. Wildl. Manage. 55:273-281.
• Buehler, David A. 2000. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/506
• Chester, D. N., D. F. Stauffer, T. J. Smith, D. R. Luukkonen, and J. D. Fraser. 1990.Habitat use by nonbreeding Bald Eagles in North Carolina. J. Wildl. Manage. 54:223-234.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2015. Bald Eagle. All About Birds. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/id
  • States/US Territories in which the Bald eagle, lower 48 States is known to or is believed to occur:  Alabama , Arizona , Arkansas , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Delaware , District of Columbia , Florida , Georgia , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi , Missouri , Montana , Nebraska , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas , Utah , Vermont , Virginia , Washington , West Virginia , Wisconsin , Wyoming
  • US Counties in which the Bald eagle, lower 48 States is known to or is believed to occur:  View All
  • USFWS Refuges in which the Bald eagle, lower 48 States is known to occur:  Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge Appert Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Ardoch National Wildlife Refuge, Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, Arrowwood Wetland Management District, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, Audubon Wetland Management District, Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge, Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge, Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Lake Wetland Management District, Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge, Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge, Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Bowdoin Wetland Management District, Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, Brumba National Wildlife Refuge, Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Camas National Wildlife Refuge, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Canfield Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District, Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Chase Lake Prairie Project Wetland Management District, Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado River Wildlife Management Area, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge, Copalis National Wildlife Refuge, Cottonwood Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Creedman Coulee National Wildlife Refuge, Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge, Dakota Tallgrass Prairie Wildlife Management Area, D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge, Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, Desoto National Wildlife Refuge, Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, Devils Lake Wetland Management District, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge, Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Elizabeth Alexandra Morton National Wildlife Refuge, Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge, Erie National Wildlife Refuge, Ernest F. Hollings Ace Basin National Wildlife Refuge, Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge, Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, Fergus Falls Wetland Management District, Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Flattery Rocks National Wildlife Refuge, Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge, Florence Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Fox River National Wildlife Refuge, Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge, Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge, Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Great River National Wildlife Refuge, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, Grulla National Wildlife Refuge, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge, Halfbreed Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Half-Way Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuge, Hanford Reach National Monument/Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge, Hillside National Wildlife Refuge, Hobart Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, Huron National Wildlife Refuge, Huron Wetland Management District, Hutchinson Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Wetland Management District, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, James River National Wildlife Refuge, J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, J. Clark Salyer Wetland Management District, J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge, John Hay National Wildlife Refuge, John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Johnson Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer, Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge, Key West National Wildlife Refuge, Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge, Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kulm Wetland Management District, Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, Lacreek Wetland Management District, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Andes Wetland Management District, Lake George National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Isom National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Otis National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Patricia National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Thibadeau National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, Lambs Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Lamesteer National Wildlife Refuge, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge, Litchfield Wetland Management District, Little Goose National Wildlife Refuge, Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, Little River National Wildlife Refuge, Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge, Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Long Lake Wetland Management District, Lords Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Lost Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, Madison Wetland Management District, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, Martin National Wildlife Refuge, Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge, Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge, Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge, Mcfaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Mckay Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Mcnary National Wildlife Refuge, Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge, Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota Valley Wetland Management District, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, Moody National Wildlife Refuge, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge, Morris Wetland Management District, Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Nansemond National Wildlife Refuge, Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge, National Bison Range, National Elk Refuge, National Key Deer Refuge, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Nine-Pipe National Wildlife Refuge, Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota Wildlife Management Area, Northeast Montana Wetland Management District, North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Northwest Montana Wetland Management District-Flathead County, Northwest Montana Wetland Management District-Lake County, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Overflow National Wildlife Refuge, Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge, Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, Patuxent Research Refuge, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, Pierce National Wildlife Refuge, Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge, Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge, Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, Pleasant Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge, Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, Pretty Rock National Wildlife Refuge, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Rabb Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District, Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge, Rock Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Rose Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Savannah-Pinckney National Wildlife Refuges, School Section Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Sheyenne Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Sibley Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Slade National Wildlife Refuge, Snyder Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Springwater National Wildlife Refuge, Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Stoney Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Storm Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Stump Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Sullys Hill National Game Preserve, Sunburst Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Susquehanna National Wildlife Refuge, Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge, Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Tamarac Wetland Management District, Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, Tewaukon Wetland Management District, Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge, Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge, Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge, Tomahawk National Wildlife Refuge, Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge, Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, Tybee National Wildlife Refuge, UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Valley City Wetland Management District, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge, Wapack National Wildlife Refuge, Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, War Horse National Wildlife Refuge, War Horse National Wildlife Refuge-Yellow Water, Washita National Wildlife Refuge, Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, Waubay National Wildlife Refuge, Waubay Wetland Management District, Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, White River National Wildlife Refuge, Wild Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge, Wood Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge  ... Show All Refuges
    
  • Additional species information
   
  Current Listing Status Summary

  Status	Date Listed	Lead Region	Where Listed
  	03/11/1967	Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region (Region 3)	U.S.A., conterminous (lower 48) States.

  » Federal Register Documents

  Federal Register Documents

  Date	Citation Page	Title
  01/07/2005	70 FR 1457 1458	Environmental Analysis and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting Related tothe San Luis Valley Regional Habitat Conservation Plan
  11/30/2004	69 FR 69617 69618	Proposed Low Effect Habitat Conservation Plan for Whiskey Creek Bald Eagle Nest Site in Tillamook, OR
  07/09/2007	72 FR 37373 37374	Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Proposed Information Collection
  08/28/2006	71 FR 50901	Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Port of Vancouver Columbia Gateway Project in the State of Washington.
  02/25/2010	75 FR 8601 8621	12-Month Finding on a Petition To List the Sonoran Desert Population of the Bald Eagle as a Threatened or Endangered Distinct Population Segment
  01/21/1987	52 FR 2239 2242	Findings on Petitions & Initiation of Status Reviews; 52 FR 2239-2242
  05/01/2012	77 FR 25792 25828	12-Month Finding on a Petition To List the Sonoran Desert Area Bald Eagle as Threatened or Endangered
  06/04/2010	75 FR 31811	Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
  07/06/1999	64 FR 36454 36464	ETWP; Proposed Rule to Remove the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
  02/16/2006	71 FR 8238 8251	Remove listing of the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States, Proposed rule; reopening of public comment period with new information.
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31156	Protection of Eagles; Definition of ``Disturb''
  01/05/2001	66 FR 1089 1091	Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Tacoma Water Department Habitat Conservation Plan, King County, WA
  05/01/2008	73 FR 23966 23970	Listing the Potential Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle Distinct Population Segment as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31156 31157	National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines
  07/09/2007	72 FR 37346 37372	Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
  01/20/1999	64 FR 3066 3067	Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Regarding Proposed Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit to the City of Tacoma, Washington, for Water Storage and Withdrawal and Forest Management in the Green River Watershed, King County, Washington
  03/15/2000	65 FR 13947 13948	Extension of Public Comment Period for Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the Tacoma Water Department, Green River Watershed, Habitat Conservation Plan, King County, Washington
  05/16/2006	71 FR 28293	Removing the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Extension of Public Comment Period
  05/09/2005	70 FR 24450 24452	Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Related to the Elliott State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan
  07/12/1994	59 FR 35584 35594	ETWP; Reclassify the Bald Eagle From Endangered to Threatened in Most of the Lower 48 States
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31132 31140	Protection of Eagles; Definition of ``Disturb''
  03/14/2005	70 FR 12497 12498	Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the North County Multiple Species Conservation Program, San Diego, CA
  01/31/2000	4603	Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Receipt of an Application for Incidental Take Permits for the Tacoma Water Department, Green River Watershed, Habitat Conservation Plan, King County, Washington
  07/25/2005	70 FR 42533 42535	Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Related to the Family Forest Habitat Conservation Plan
  08/30/2006	71 FR 51549 51565	Petition to List the Sonoran Desert Population of the Bald Eagle as a Distinct Population Segment, List that Distinct Population Segment as Endangered, and Designate Critical Habitat
  01/15/2009	74 FR 2465 2467	Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Status Review of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Sonoran Desert Area of Central Arizona and Northwestern Mexico: Notice of continuing information collection for a status review
  07/05/2007	72 FR 31132 31140	Protection of Eagles; Definition of ``Disturb''
  05/24/2005	70 FR 29779 29779	Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Related to the Elliott State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan; Correction
  04/28/2003	68 FR 22412 22414	Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Regarding Proposed Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit to the Montana Department of Natural Resrouces and Conservation on Foreted State Trust Lands in the State of Montana
  07/12/1976	41 FR 28525 28527	Proposed Modification of Endangered Status for the Bald Eagle in Conterminous 48 States; 41 FR 28525 28527
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31141 31155	Authorizations Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for Take of Eagles
  03/29/2011	76 FR 17434 17439	Receipt of Application for an Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit
  09/02/2011	76 FR 54711 54713	Bald Eagles Nesting in Sonoran Desert Area of Central Arizona Removed From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife: Final rule.
  12/20/2005	70 FR 75478 75480	Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping and to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Related to the Port of Vancouver's Columbia Gateway Site Habitat Conservation Plan
  11/29/2002	67 FR 71193 71194	Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement adn Final, Roosevelt Habitat Conservation Plan for Incidental Take by the Salt River Project.
  07/12/1995	60 FR 36001 36010	ETWP; Final Rule to Reclassify the Bald Eagle From Endangered to Threatened in All of the Lower 48 States
  02/14/1978	43 FR 6230 6233	Determination of Certain Bald Eagle Populations as Endangered or Threatened
  06/10/2003	68 FR 34585 34586	Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping and Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Related to the King County , WA, Habitat Conservation Plan
  05/20/2008	73 FR 29096 29098	Initiation of Status Review for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Sonoran Desert Area of Central Arizona and Northwestern Mexico
  08/22/2008	73 FR 49647 49648	Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Habitat Conservation Plan, and Receipt of Applications for Incidental Take Permits
  03/07/2005	70 FR 11022 11024	Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit Associated with a Habitat Conservation Plan for Western Placer County, CA
  03/23/1995	60 FR 15280 15281	ETWP; Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Rule to Reclassify the Bald Eagle From Endangered to Threatened
  03/11/1967	32 FR 4001	Endangered Species List - 1967

  Special Rule Publications

  Date	Citation Page	Title
  02/14/1978	43 FR 6230 6233	Determination of Certain Bald Eagle Populations as Endangered or Threatened
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31141 31155	Authorizations Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for Take of Eagles

  » Recovery

  • Recovery Plan Information Search
  • Information Search FAQs
  Current Recovery Plan(s)

  Date	Title	Plan Action Status	Plan Status
  09/27/1990	Chesapeake Bay Bald Eagle Recovery Plan	View Implementation Progress	Final Revision 1
  09/08/1982	Southwestern Bald Eagle Recovery Plan	View Implementation Progress	Final
  07/29/1983	Northern States Bald Eagle Recovery Plan	View Implementation Progress	Final
  04/19/1989	Southeastern States Bald Eagle Recovery Plan	View Implementation Progress	Final Revision 1
  08/25/1986	Recovery Plan for the Pacific Bald Eagle	View Implementation Progress	Final

  Other Recovery Documents

  Date	Citation Page	Title	Document Type
  09/02/2011	76 FR 54711 54713	Bald Eagles Nesting in Sonoran Desert Area of Central Arizona Removed From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife: Final rule.	Final Delisting, Original Data in Error - Not a listable entity
  06/04/2010	75 FR 31811	Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)	Notice Doc. Availability, Final Post Delisting Monitoring Plan
  07/09/2007	72 FR 37346 37372	Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife	Final Delisting, Recovered
  07/09/2007	72 FR 37373 37374	Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Proposed Information Collection	Notice Comment Period for Monitoring Plan Notice Doc. Availability, Post Delisting Monitoring Plan
  06/05/2007	72 FR 31156 31157	National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines	Notice Doc. Availability
  07/06/1999	64 FR 36454 36464	ETWP; Proposed Rule to Remove the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife	Proposed Delisting, Recovered

  Delisting Documents

  Date	Title
  05/11/2010	Bald Eagle Final Post Delisting Monitoring Plan

  » Critical Habitat

  No critical habitat rules have been published for the Bald eagle.

  » Conservation Plans

  Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) (learn more)

  HCP Plan Summaries
  0000-Amendment #1 46-Subdivisions (42 medium quality subdivisions)
  0000-Amendment #1 46-Subdivisions (4 low quality subdivisions)
  0001-Aiello, James
  0012-King, Wesley, D.
  0021-Capstone Builders #1 (Wallman, Pam)
  0022-Capstone Builders #2 (Wallman, Pam)
  0023-Bastrop County WCID District #2
  0024-Taylor, Don E.
  0027-Creamer, John
  0028-King, Angela
  0029-Attra, Jim
  0030-Alley, Jason (#2)
  0031-McNulty, James
  0032-Paradise Land & Cattle Company #1(McKethan, C.W.)
  0035-Ingram, Craig (#2)
  0036-Orta, Angelita L.
  0037-Alley, Jason (#4)
  0038-Alley, Jason (#5)
  0039-Alley, Jason (#3)
  0041-Barnes, Kevin & Julie
  0043-Godwin, William Bradford
  0047-Vickers, George T.
  0048-Goodwin, Newby
  0049-Bastrop County WCID #2
  0050-Paradise Land and Cattle #5 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0051-Paradise Land and Cattle #6 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0052-Paradise Land and Cattle #7 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0053-White, Eric
  0054-Lange, Coralie
  0076 Cornerstone Const # 4 (Ronnie White)
  0081-Bowman Builders #1
  0082-Bowman Builders #2
  0092-Smith, Tamera M.
  0099-Steiwig, Gary & Cheryl
  0100-Holberg, Jeff
  0101-Matl, John A. & Donna
  0104-Cornerstone Construction #5
  0105-Fuller, Stephen
  0106-Tyre, John & Paula
  0107-Samaro, Joe R.
  0108-Whited, Henry, Sr.
  0109-Myers, Carl
  0112-Fernandez, Richardo S. & Lydia C.
  0113-Garcia, Miguel
  0114-Serna, Pedro, Jr.
  0115-Abell, Johnny J.
  0116-Gonzales, Ramon O.
  0120-Briscoe, Robert, L.
  0123-Vogel, Douglas N.
  0125-Whitfield, Steve
  0126-Erickson, John
  0127-Paradise Land & Cattle Company #2 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0129-Arcy, Thomas H. & Karen S.
  0130-Scheuermann, Carl Frank
  0132-McClure, Thomas & Marcia
  0133-Scheuermann, Shelly
  0134-Morriss, Steven
  0135-Gilpin, Scott H.
  0136-Johnson, Jeff (#3)
  0137-Milliken, Mark A.
  0138-Hyatt, Richard A. & Bonnie
  0139-Millenium Custom Homes #2 (Russelll Alderman)
  0140-Jones, Jerry M.
  0141-Edwards, Freddie
  0143-Jenkins, Billy Joe
  0144-Burgan, Brenda
  0145-Daggett, Sherry
  0146-Tapia, Martin
  0147-Odom, Mark
  0148-Voicestream Wireless (Jennifer Morgan)
  0149-JRS Builders #3 (Joel Summerfield)
  0150-JRS Builders #4 (Joel Summerfield)
  0151-JRS Builders #5 (Joel Summerfield)
  0152-JRS Builders #6 (Joel Summerfield)
  0154-Paradise Land & Cattle Company #3 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0158-Travis, Cher D.
  0159-Parker, Robbie J.
  0160-Maldonado, Alonzo
  0161-McClure, Thomas & Marcia #8
  0162-Yoch, Timothy
  0163-Nichols, Jennifer
  0164-Dyer, James Alan
  0165 - Parks, Nicole & John
  0166-Weinstein, Lisa
  0167-May, Kimberly
  0170-Vinklarek, Bruce
  0171-Paradise Land and Cattle #4 (McKethan, C.W.)
  0172 - Spiett, Ernest Geoffery
  0173 - Portice, William
  0174 - Pardue, Susan
  0175 - Oliver, Jed
  0176-Eades, Thomas F.
  0178 - Woods, Roxann Lee
  0184-Garza, Mauricio
  0185-Gonzalez, Orlando
  0186-Fritz, Randy (Handmade Homes)
  46-Subdivisions in Bastrop County, Texas (42 medium quality subdivisions)
  46-Subdivisions in Bastrop County, Texas (4 low quality subdivisions)
  Advantage Builders #1
  Ashley Reserve
  Cal. Dept. of Corrections Statewide Electrified Fence Project
  Cedar River Watershed HCP
  City of Tacoma, Tacoma Water HCP
  Crescent Resources, LLC
  Elliott State Forest, Termination
  Gross, Nick (Snow Construction, Inc.)
  Gross, Nick (Snow Construction, Inc.) Amendment 1
  Gunston Manor Subdivision
  Humboldt Redwood Company (formerly Pacific Lumber, Headwaters)
  Kern Water Bank
  Lake Mathews
  Lower Colorado River Authority (Goss, Randy)
  MSCP, City of Chula Vista Subarea Plan
  MSCP, City of La Mesa Subarea Plan
  MSCP, City of Poway Subarea Plan
  MSCP, County of San Diego Subarea Plan
  PG&E San Joaquin Valley Operations & Maintenance HCP
  Pinsto, Inc., Lake Wylie
  Pinsto, Inc, Lake Wylie, Permit Extension
  Port Blakely RB Eddy Tree Farm
  Regli Estates
  Salt River Project Horseshoe and Bartlett HCP
  Salt River Project Roosevelt Lake Habitat Conservation Plan
  San Diego Gas & Electric
  Simpson Timber NW Operations (Green Diamond Resource Company)
  The Woodlands Amendment #1
  The Woodlands Amendment # 2
  The Woodlands Land Development Co., L.P.
  Western Riverside MSHCP (One permit w/ 22 permittees)
  West Fork Timber HCP (formerly Murray Pacific)
  Whiskey Creek HCP

  Safe Harbor Agreements (SHA): (learn more)

  SHA Plan Summaries
  Paterson, Thomas W. and Caroline H. (Spur Ranch)
  Pueblo of Santa Ana Amendment # 1
  Pueblo of Santa Ana Safe Harbor Agreement
  Tagshinny Tree Farm
  Tempe, City of, Rio Salado SHA

  » Petitions

  » Life History

  Habitat Requirements

  Bald Eagles typically breed and winter in forested areas adjacent to large bodies of water. Throughout range, selects large, super-canopy roost trees that are open and accessible. Nests are usually constructed below the crown of a tree, often highest point where large branches join bole of tree. Nests are usually constructed below the crown of a tree, often the highest point where large branches join the bole of a tree. Nests are constructed from an array of sticks placed in an interwoven pattern. Other materials added as fillers may include grasses, mosses, even corn stalks. Nest bowls are lined with finer woody materials, especially Spanish moss in Florida, and ultimately lined with downy feathers from the adults. Nests are massive; often exceeding several thousand kilograms in weight.

  Food Habits

  The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic forager; food habits highly varied across range and site-specific, based on prey species available. Bald Eagles use carrion of fish, birds, and mammals extensively wherever encountered at sites that provide disturbance-free access from the ground. Bald Eagles hunt from perches or while soaring over suitable habitat and attempt to take most prey on the wing (e.g., fish, waterfowl, small mammals) but success varies greatly.

  Movement / Home Range

  Bald Eagles breed throughout much of Canada and Alaska, in addition to scattered sites across the lower 48 states, from California to the southeastern U.S. coast and Florida. Wintering covers most of the contiguous U.S., with some year-round distribution in the northwest. Northern birds return to breeding grounds as soon as weather and food availability permit, generally between January and March. Within 50 miles north of Southerly International Boundary between Arizona and Mexico, bald eagles may be found along rivers and lakes as winter residents or migrants. There are no breeding sites within this specific area.

  Other

  Some major threats to Bald Eagles include ingestion of contaminants, such as DDT which causes eggshell thinning, ingestion of lead, collisions with stationary and moving objects, degradation of shoreline habitat, and disturbance at nest and roost sites. Throughout breeding range, populations have shown tremendous growth since ban of DDT in 1972. In 1963, an estimated 417 breeding pairs existed in the lower 48 states; increased to >5,000 pairs in 1997, growth on average of almost 8%/year. During migration, they are regularly counted at census stations, however winter estimates are problematic as visibility differs among areas.

  » Other Resources

  NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

  ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

  FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.