Bald Eagle Calls (w/ AUDIO examples)

ByScott
5 Comments

Below, you are going to learn how to identify the chirping CALLS, SOUNDS, and WHISTLES of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

bald eagle calls and sounds

Since Bald Eagles primarily eat fish, they are typically heard and found near water. The BEST areas to find and hear them are forests near large bodies of water that provide good fishing AND tall trees for nesting sites.

Bald Eagle Calls:

  • Make sure to press PLAY on the audio files below. 🙂

Bald Eagles make a series of chirping whistles and other shrill, high-pitched notes and calls (kleek kik ik ik ik). I think they sound incredibly similar to a gull!

Many people are surprised to learn what Bald Eagles sound like, as it’s weaker than they imagined. In fact, many directors have replaced Bald Eagle sounds in movies and on TV. Instead, they substitute the screams of a Red-tailed Hawk to make the eagle sound more intimidating.

After almost going extinct due to DDT poisoning, these raptors are a true success story. Bald Eagles are now found in every US state (except Hawaii) and Canadian province in North America.

Watch the short video below for more examples of calls and sounds from a Bald Eagle.

YouTube video

 

Have you heard the calls and sounds of a Bald Eagle before?

If so, please let us know below!

Scott is the creator of Bird Watching HQ. His goal is to inspire you to care more about the birds and wildlife in YOUR backyard. Over the past 5 years, he has been focused on improving the habitat in his own yard by doing things like adding native plants, not using pesticides, etc. He is happy to report that over 50 species of birds have now been seen on his 1.5-acre property (that's in a suburban neighborhood). Learn more about Scott on his About page. And make sure to check out his LIVE bird cameras.

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5 Comments

  1. I saw one perched at dusk at the cut off top of a pine. He called briefly but it sounded like your recording, and not like the Redtail or the Redshouldered.. I live at a condo within 200 yards of the Diverting reservoir in Brewster, NY.

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  3. We have a pair of bald Eagles a few doors down. They have a nest in a cell tower.
    I believe I have heard them.
    We have many seagulls around too.

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  5. Greetings, I have been feeding one and occasionally two pairs of Bald Eagles from the seawall oh my home in East Boothbay ,Maine for about 3 years. I call them Bob. The Bobs disappear in the summer when the full summer pop of residents and tourists arrive. Once when Bob (Mr) was having trouble picking up chicken from the sea wall, he perched on a rainy and cried out loudly, plaintively, in moments (Mrs) Bob swooped in for the chicken and they flew off together. I worried that Bob might have been suffering from led poisoning. Presumably toward their nest which I cannot see.

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