How Long Do Bald Eagles Live? (Complete Guide)

The symbolic bald eagle (White-headed catfish) is a powerful and graceful bird that has been synonymous with the United States of America since it was adopted as its national bird in 1782. The bald eagle is a sight to behold with its white head and tail, but how long do bald eagles live?

Bald eagles live about 20 to 30 years in the wild, which is about average for the general eagle species. Although they were once persecuted and hunted, adult bald eagles are now protected by several laws in the United States and Canada. Because of this, today’s adult bald eagles face few threats and a low mortality rate. Even so, many bald eagles have been killed directly or indirectly by humans.

The oldest known wild bald eagle was killed in 2015 after a collision with a car in upstate New York. Its leg straps indicate it was released into the Montezuma Wildlife Reserve in 1977, making it at least 38 years old. The previous record for the longest-lived bald eagle was around 36 years old. Bald eagles can live to be over 30 years old in the wild.

While many species of eagles have low first-year survival rates, first-year survival rates for bald eagle chicks typically exceed 50 percent. In some studies, they even had a 100% first-year survival rate.

Read on to learn more about the lifespan of this magnificent and iconic bird!

Bald eagles typically live 20 to 30 years in the wild

What is the typical lifespan of a bald eagle?

The average lifespan of bald eagles has increased over the past 50 to 70 years. This once persecuted bird is now legally protected in the US and Canada – and anyone who illegally kills or traps a bald eagle can be fined more than $20,000.

However, illegal shooting and trapping of bald eagles remains a problem in some states and can be difficult to police.

Today, most bald eagles live at least 20 years, and first-year survival rates are higher than ever, meaning most bald eagle chicks make it to their first birthday. Additionally, adult bald eagles have a very low mortality rate, meaning that most adults tend to live beyond their expected lifespan of 20 to 30 years.

However, the lives of many bald eagles have been shortened by direct or indirect human activity. In fact, only a small number of adult bald eagles die from natural causes; the rest suffer from trauma, electrocution, poisoning, shooting and entrapment. Among those who died from natural causes, besides old age, hunger was the leading cause.

Bald eagle perched on a tree

How long do bald eagles live in the wild?

If a bald eagle survives its first year, it can easily live 20 years. Their typical lifespan is about 25 years, but some bald eagles can live to be 30 or more.

Decent survival data for bald eagles is still relatively scarce, but in some areas the chance of bald eagles surviving 4 to 5 years is around 80% or even higher. Once adults, wild bald eagles tend to live 20 to 30 years.

Despite having no natural enemies, bald eagles still face many natural and unnatural threats. Probably now their average life expectancy in the wild is starting to increase.

Bald eagle in flight, looking for prey

How long can a bald eagle live in captivity?

Very few bald eagles are kept in captivity—only those found injured, orphaned, or otherwise unable to return to the wild are kept in zoos and rehabilitation centers.

One of the injured bald eagles, named Sequoia, was kept at the Louisville Zoo until his death in 2021 at the age of at least 40. Sequoia was injured and had to have his wings amputated so he couldn’t return to the wild.

Oldest captive bald eagle reportedly lived to be 47but it is unclear where it was kept, and the exact year it died.

How do bald eagles live so long?

Vultures are large top predators and are not a predatory threat. Their average lifespan is 25 years, which is well above the average for all birds and slightly above average compared to other eagles.

For example, golden eagles live about 15 years, white-tailed eagles live about 18 years, harpies live about 25 to 35 years, and crested eagles live about 15 to 18 years.

adult bald eagle call

How Do Most Vultures Die?

The cause of death for bald eagles has changed over the past 40 to 50 years. A study of 1,428 people from 1963 to 1984 found that 23% of eagles died from traumatic injuries, mostly in cars and vehicles, 22% from gunshot wounds, 11% from poisoning, 9% from electrocution, 5% died from traps, 8% from emaciation or starvation and 2% from disease.

In approximately 20% of cases the cause of death cannot be determined. Surprisingly, very few bald eagles die from disease (only 2%).

In the same study, 68 percent of bald eagle mortality was human-caused. However, this study was conducted some time ago and lacks recent evidence.

Today, bald eagles face fewer human threats, although illegal hunting remains a problem in some areas. Accidental poisoning is also a significant risk to adult vultures, especially if they ingest poisonous carrion and buckshot or other harmful synthetic toxins. Starvation is also the leading cause of bald eagle mortality today, especially during particularly cold, wet or windy winters.

Although nest predation by owls, bobcats, gulls, corvids, wolverines, owls, other hawks, hawks, bears and raccoons remains common, more than 50 percent of bald eagle chicks survive to adulthood. Although the bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list, there are still only about 316,700 left in the wild.

bald eagle eating fish

What is the life cycle of a bald eagle?

Bald eagles breed around February-March. They build huge nests – some weighing more than 2 tons, 6 meters deep and 3 meters wide. Egg laying takes about a week; female bald eagles usually lay 2 eggs, rarely 3.

incubation: Vultures take an average of 34 to 36 days to hatch. Both parents incubate the eggs together. Once ready to hatch, bald eagle chicks take a few days to emerge from their shells.

Hatchling stage: Bald eagle chicks stay in the nest for at least two months and can gain a whopping 170 grams a day.

Bald eagle feeding chicks in nest

fledgling: Chicks are usually ready to fledge after 8 to 12 weeks, but will remain close to their parents for the next 6 to 10 weeks. It is rare for all chicks to survive, but those that survive to fledgling have about a 50% to nearly 100% chance of surviving their first year.

Junior stage: Vulture juveniles take 4 to 5 years to reach full sexual maturity. During this time, lone eagles may explore the area or leave their parents in search of a mate.

Adulthood: Adult bald eagles establish large territories and seek out mates, often remaining with them for life. They try to reproduce every year, but may not always be successful. A pair of bald eagles can raise a total of about 20 to 30 chicks over their lifetime.

Juvenile bald eagles are often confused with golden eagles

How old is a bald eagle with a bald head?

Bald eagles take at least 2 to 3 years to grow their characteristic bald heads. Vultures have a long life cycle, taking about five years to reach full sexual maturity.

About 25% of juvenile bald eagles have white head feathers by 4 ½ years of age, and 100% of juvenile bald eagles have white head feathers by 5 ½ years of age.

What are the natural enemies of bald eagles?

Adult bald eagles have no natural enemies. Nest predation is not uncommon, and sometimes other hawks, owls, and hawks kill young and young.

The bald eagle’s nest predates:

birds

• owl
• seagull
• red tail
• crows; magpies, crows and crows
• Other Vultures and Golden Eagles

mammal

• bobcats
• Wolverine
• raccoon
• black bear
• squirrel

Closeup of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

How big was the oldest bald eagle?

Currently, the oldest known wild bald eagle is at least 38 years old. It was killed in a collision in Henrietta, New York, in 2015 and was later identified as Eagle 629-03142. The eagle was strapped after hatching in the summer of 1977.

The eagle was taken from its nest in Minnesota and moved to New York’s Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge — at a time when bald eagles were an endangered species and efforts to increase their numbers were in full swing.

Bald eagles in captivity have been reported to live up to 47 years, but the source of this figure is unclear. In 2021, the Louisville Zoo’s oldest bald eagle sequoia died at the age of 40.

Bald Eagle in flight, entering land, Alaska

How long can a bald eagle live without eating?

Vultures are opportunistic foragers and will voraciously eat meat whenever they can. Food can be digested slowly in their crops for at least 7 days, which means that bald eagles undergo periodic intermittent fasting. It is not uncommon for bald eagles to fast for more than a month.

After about two weeks without food, the bald eagles lose weight rapidly. so, It is extremely unlikely that a bald eagle can survive for more than 50 days or so without food.