WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Iowa?

Adult Bald Eagle
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Bald Eagles are in Iowa all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in mid December (35% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 6.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Fall back byMar 22-31late March
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: mid December. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of November and fall back by late March. Peak: on about 35% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 32% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 31% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 32% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 28% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 32% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 27% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.0% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.2% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.8% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.0% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.0% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.6% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.7% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.9% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.0% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.9% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.5% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 36% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 35% of 5113 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Iowa that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest mid December · 84 checklists that week, 3,389 in all79%
  2. Louisa CountyBest mid February · 53 checklists that week, 1,639 in all76%
  3. Lee CountyBest late January · 29 checklists that week, 1,488 in all75%
  4. Jackson CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 1,765 in all74%
  5. Allamakee CountyBest mid November · 68 checklists that week, 2,607 in all70%
  6. Van Buren CountyBest late January · 18 checklists that week, 1,213 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coralville Lake (Turkey Creek)Johnson County, best mid December · 32 checklists that week, 639 in all99%
  2. Lake Red RockMarion County, best late January · 29 checklists that week, 501 in all98%
  3. Mississippi RiverScott County, best late January · 26 checklists that week, 606 in all97%
  4. Eagle Point Park (north)Dubuque County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 215 in all93%
  5. Credit Isand ParkScott County, best mid February · 27 checklists that week, 777 in all93%
  6. Saylorville Recreation AreaPolk County, best the second week of March · 50 checklists that week, 1,723 in all93%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (22% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 11% of 11313 checklists7 am: 15% of 25717 checklists8 am: 19% of 29755 checklists9 am: 21% of 28897 checklists10 am: 22% of 26343 checklists11 am: 22% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 21% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 21% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 20% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 20% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 17% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 12% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 6.5% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January32%31%26%30%
February32%28%29%35%
March33%32%27%21%
April19%18%17%16%
May12%10%9.0%9.2%
June6.8%7.0%6.0%6.6%
July6.7%6.6%6.9%8.0%
August8.9%9.5%10%11%
September13%12%14%16%
October14%15%16%17%
November18%24%26%31%
December31%33%36%35%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 14 weeks later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Iowa?
Bald Eagles are in Iowa all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in mid December (35% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 6.4% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Iowa?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late March, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Iowa?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in mid December, on about 35% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Louisa County, and Lee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).