Bald Eagle Habitat

The Bald Eagle habitat is restricted to North America. Bald Eagles are found in every lower state. The largest concentration of these birds is in Alaska; Florida, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon, Minnesota, and Michigan populations are also large. In late autumn, people seeking to see Bald Eagles can view them in large numbers on the Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska where they gather to feed on migrating salmon. In winter, it’s easy to see Bald Eagles near large rivers. Special observation decks and cars are the best ways to watch Bald Eagles, because they avoid humans, but don’t mind cars.

A typical Bald Eagle habitat is a remote area along the sea coast, banks of large rivers and lakes. Bald Eagles need privacy and inhabit the territories far from cities. To make a nest, a pair of Bald Eagles chooses a large isolated tree or a cliff. The nest of these large birds is usually used for many years. Every spring, the pair repairs the nest and adds fresh lining of mosses, grasses and twigs. An old nest of the Bald Eagle can reach the weight of several tons and the width of 10 feet. Both mates build the nest, incubate the eggs and take care of the young.

A Bald Eagle habitat depends on the season. Southern populations don’t have to migrate, but Bald Eagles of Alaska, Michigan and Oregon move southwards or to the sea shore or to the large rivers with dams. Bald Eagles are not afraid of cold; they follow seasonal food supplies and have to search for open water for fishing when northern lakes and rivers freeze over. The flight pattern of the Bald Eagle is determined by the wind currents. Juvenile birds migrate before their parents and find the right way to the open water sources. Some fledglings return to their birthplace in spring; others lose their way or just choose the other place for living.

Nowadays, Bald Eagles are out of danger, but in the 19th and 20th centuries they were on the brink of extinction. First settlers and farmers killed them as pests and destroyed their habitats. In the middle of the 20th century, Bald Eagles were poisoned by DDT and other pesticides accumulated in their prey. After DDT was banned, the population of these birds recovered. Today, the most of the Bald Eagle habitat is protected by law.