IUCN 10/01/2016 – Least Concern (LC)

U.S. and Canada Conservation Status: Critically imperiled in 7/66 states and provinces (CO, ND, NJ, NM, OK, RI, VT). Imperiled in 17/66 states and provinces (ON, AR, AZ, DC, DE, IN, KS, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NN, NV, NY, UT, WV). Vulnerable in 26/66 states and provinces. Apparently secure in 29/66 states and provinces. Secure in 12/65 states and provinces.

The data used in this figure are listed above. These data were compiled from NatureServe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Listed as on Birds of Management Concern in 2011

From Alaska and Canada to as far south as Northern Mexico.

Usually breeds in forested areas adjacent to large bodies of water. Nests in large, mature trees, usually, with some habitat edge and within less than 2 km of water suitable for foraging. Sometimes nests in agricultural land where there is no nearby water access.

These maps summarize the latest RPI trend analyses for count sites throughout North America.

CBC: Steady increases survey-wide from 2009-2019. Over-all increases observed since survey start in the 1970s.

BBS: Steady increases survey-wide since the 1990s. Low credibility.

Environmental contaminants such as lead, mercury, and organochlorine pesticides, oil spills, collisions with vehicles and power lines, electrocution, nest disturbance, and habitat loss.

Written by Rebekah Smith

References

Bednarz, J. C., D. Klem Jr., L. J. Goodrich, and S. E. Senner. (1990). Migration Counts Of Raptors At Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, As Indicators Of Population Trends, 1934-1986. The Auk, 107, 96–107.

Buehler, D. A. (2020). Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.baleag.01

Farmer, C. J., and Hussell, D. J. (2008). The raptor population index in practice. State of North America’s birds of prey. Series in Ornithology, (3), 165-178.

Farmer, C. J., and Smith, J. P. (2010). Seasonal differences in migration counts of raptors: Utility of spring counts for Population Monitoring. Journal of Raptor Research, 44(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr-09-31.1

Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, M. Strimas-Mackey, O. Robinson, S. Ligocki, W. Hochachka, L. Jaromczyk, C. Wood, I. Davies, M. Iliff, and L. Seitz. 2021. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2020; Released: 2021. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://doi.org/10.2173/ebirdst.2020

Master, L., Faber-Langendoen, D., Bittman, R., Hammerson, G. A., Heidel, B., Ramsay, L., Snow, K., Teucher, A., & Tomaino, A. (2012). NatureServe conservation status assessments: Factors for evaluating species and ecosystem risk. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.

Meehan, T.D., LeBaron, G.S., Dale, K., Krump, A., Michel, N.L., and Wilsey, C.B. (2020). Abundance trends of birds wintering in the USA and Canada, from Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, 1966-2019, version 3.0. National Audubon Society, New York, New York, USA.

USFWS. 2014. Species Status Assessment for Species Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2021. Birds of Conservation Concern 2021. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Birds, Falls Church, Virginia. http://www.fws.gov/birds/management/ managed-species/birds-of-conservation-concern.php

Partners in Flight, Vanishing Habitats. https://partnersinflight.org/vanishing-habitats/

Learn more about this species natural history at All About Birds or at Hawk Mountain’s website.