Like fireworks displays on the fourth of July, American bald eagles draw thousands of people together to Missouri’s river banks every January and February. This is when hundreds of these majestic birds come to build nests in the state’s tall trees, rear their young and feast on fish in her rivers. What’s so special about this endangered species? With so many admirable qualities it’s easy to understand why our country’s forefathers selected the Bald Eagle as our nation’s symbol and why so many yearn to find the best sites in Missouri for eagle watching.
Three hundred years ago Bald Eagles nested throughout North America but today they breed mainly in Alaska, Canada and Missouri. Bald Eagles have more than 150 active nests in Missouri and they spend their winter at many locations throughout the state, making Missouri one of the leading states for wintering eagles. Built in the top of a large tree, a Bald Eagle nest is one of the biggest of any North American bird. The average Missouri nest is about 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep.
With a wingspan ranging between 6 ½ to 8 feet, a height of 3 to 3 ½ feet and weighing 8 to 15 pounds, the American Bald Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey, eating fish primarily and an occasional rabbit, rodent or bird. Like humans, they too are scavengers, known to rob other birds of their prey, especially if one bird makes an impressive catch. Perhaps this is how the forefathers came up with the idea of progressive taxation. One thing is for certain, eagles have much better vision than humans. Five to six times sharper, prominent brows shade their eyes for keener vision. Strong eyesight, powerful feet with two inch talons, a hooked beak for tearing flesh coupled with normal flight speeds of 20-40 miles per and more than 100 miles per hour when diving make the Bald Eagle a fierce predator.
Love is in the air every January and February with a female and male eagle pairing up and adding to the nest. Female eagles are larger than male eagles and unless they are perched next to each other they are difficult to tell apart. Both male and female adults have the distinctive white head and tail. A sexually mature bird is about 4 – 5 years old. The female eagle lays two to three white eggs each year in March or April. For 35-40 days both parents incubate the eggs. Eaglets can be solid, dark brown or mottled brown and white and waste no time growing up as they are fully feathered and nearly full grown and able to fly from the nest when they are just 10-11 weeks old. Unfortunately, the road ahead is tough with a 50 percent mortality rate during their first year after leaving the nest. But the odds are more in their favor the second year with a 10 percent mortality rate and 5 percent every year after. While the life expectancy in the wild averages 30 years, some Bald Eagles have lived up to 50 years in captivity.
Some of the best places to watch Bald Eagles in Missouri are as follows:
- Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area , Route K , southwest of Columbia
- Lake of The Ozarks , Bagnell Dam Access
- Lock and Dam 24 , Clarksville
- Lock and Dam 25 , east of Winfield
- Mingo National Wildlife Refuge , northwest of Puxico
- Old Chain of Rocks Bridge , south of I-270 , off Riverview Drive , St. Louis
- Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area , east of West Alton
- Schell – Osage Conservation Area , north of El Dorado Springs
- Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge , south of Sumner
- Table Rock Lake and Sheperd of The Hills Hatchery , southwest of Branson
- Truman Reservoir , west of Warsaw
