Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Although regular and locally abundant in Missouri in winter, Bald Eagles are rare breeders in the state. Griffin's (1978) summary of the history of Bald Eagle breeding in Missouri suggests that prior to 1900, Bald Eagles bred throughout much of the state and were especially numerous in southeastern Missouri swamps. Throughout the early 20th century, the few nests reported were primarily along the Mississippi River and in the Ozarks. A failed nest in Camden County in 1962 (Easterla 1964) was the last known nesting attempt until 1982 (Wilson 1985).

From 1981-90, Bald Eagle restoration projects were conducted at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Wayne County and at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon County. Seventy-four young Bald Eagles were released and no doubt supplemented a rebounding breeding population. Beginning in 1985, Bald Eagles resumed breeding in the state regularly and since then the number of productive territories has generally increased (Wilson 1995).

Code Frequency

This conspicuous and readily-identified species is relatively easy to confirm as breeding by its large, prominently located nest. The main factor limiting the number of reports was the Atlas Project sampling procedure. Because Bald Eagles were listed as Endangered by Missouri and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, independent nesting territory surveys were undertaken and several nests were found outside of Atlas blocks.

Distribution

Breeding Bald Eagles displayed no definitive regional distribution within the state. Most nests were near major rivers, lakes and wetlands as expected for a fish-eating species.

Abundance

Phenology

Observations made during 1991-1994 independent of the Atlas Project determined the fledging of Bald Eagles in Missouri ranged between May 15-July 15 with a median of June 16. Considering the length of the Bald Eagle's incubation and rearing periods, this would require nesting to be initiated as early as mid-January.

Breeding Evidence

Reported in 7 (<1%) of 1,207 blocks

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