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Bald Eagles

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Bald Eagle

Bald Eagles

Bald eagles are the largest bird of prey that nests in Iowa and they are a bird most Iowans thrill to see. Here are some fast facts:  

  • They  have a wingspan of 6 to 7 1/2 feet are 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and they weigh anywhere between 8 and 15 pounds.
  • Males and Females look alike with the females being just a slightly larger. 
  • Their eyes are 5 to 6 times more powerful than human’s. 
  • Their primary food is fish, and they almost always nest near water. However, Bald Eagles are opportunists and are not above dining on other things including scavenging on carrion.
  • Young eagles take 4-5 years to reach full maturity and start nesting. Juvenile eagles do not have the iconic white head and tail and are instead a solid brown with some white feathers mixed in.
  • Their stick nests are usually built towards the top of very tall trees, like Cottonwoods, and mated pairs come back to the same nest each year, continually adding and sprucing up the nest. Nests can be as much as 7 feet across and 12 feet deep, weighing up to 1 ton - that’s 2000 pounds!
  • Bald Eagles do stay with the same mate for life.
  • Bald Eagles usually only lay 1 clutch of 1-3 eggs each year. The young eagles take about 10-12 weeks to go from hatching to flying.

In Iowa, the nesting season runs roughly from January through August, though most activity occurs between February and July. Nesting is a very critical time for bald eagles, so do not attempt to approach any nest. The year 1977 was the first year eagles nested in Iowa since the early 1900s and roughly 40 years later, Iowa supports several hundred breeding pairs of eagles. If you are interested in reading more about the status of eagles in Iowa, download the Yearly Eagle Status Report


During the winter, bald eagles are under pressure to consume enough food and expend as little energy as possible in order to maintain body heat. If fishermen, bird watchers, or boaters get too close to the eagles, the birds will waste valuable energy flying away. It exposes them to undue stress and could cause abandonment of a site. To avoid disturbing eagles, do not get any closer than 400 yards from a perched eagle. If vegetation obscures the eagle’s view of you, still avoid getting closer than 100 yards. When possible, stay in your vehicle, use a blind, or stand behind stationary objects when viewing eagles. Stay on the opposite side of the river or lake to allow them a peaceful refuge. Since over 70 percent of the eagle’s feeding occurs during the early morning, avoid visiting areas that eagles rely on for food before 9 a.m. That will help to allow the eagle enough time to adequately feed before human activity disrupts their foraging.

It is illegal to disturb nesting bald eagles in a way that causes them to abandon the nest. Guidelines to avoid disturbance are to maintain at least a 330 foot distance from the nest for quiet activities and 660 feet for louder more disruptive activities. It is also illegal to take down an eagle nest or tree with an eagle nest without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can learn more about the federal law, The Bald And Golden Eagle Protection Act that protects eagles on the Fish and Wildlife Service webpage.

If you find a dead or injured eagle, preserve the “potential” crime scene and call the local conservation officer, biologist, or US Fish and Wildlife Service office.


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Bald Eagle Nest Reporting

The DNR is always interested in receiving reports of Bald Eagle Nests in the state. We maintain a database of nests and are interested in keeping it as up to date as possible. The information we are interested in is the exact location of the nest, whether the nest is being used by eagles and if young are present how many and the date of your observation. To report a nest, please click the button below to use an interactive map to report the nest or download and use the form:

Report a Bald Eagle Nest

Bald Eagle Nest Reporting Form
Bald Eagle Nest Reporting Form
How to Identify a Bald Eagle Nest

If you are interested in “adopting” and formally monitoring the nest as a volunteer for the DNR, please visit the Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program webpage for information on bird nest monitoring.

To talk to someone about reporting eagle nests in Iowa contact:
Boone Wildlife Research Station
1436 255th St., Boone, IA 50036
vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-230-6599