WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Missouri?

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

Bald Eagles are in Missouri all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in late January (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: late January. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 15% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  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%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 15% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.3% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.7% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.6% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.1% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.0% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.7% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.7% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.5% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.1% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.1% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.6% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.3% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.7% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.3% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.1% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.9% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.6% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.6% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.2% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.6% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.1% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.5% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.9% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% of 13142 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 Missouri 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.

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Where in Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pike CountyBest late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,685 in all81%
  2. Holt CountyBest early December · 41 checklists that week, 1,665 in all74%
  3. Lewis CountyBest early January · 10 checklists that week, 1,047 in all65%
  4. Linn CountyBest early January · 20 checklists that week, 1,029 in all60%
  5. Macon CountyBest early January · 32 checklists that week, 1,377 in all59%
  6. Ralls CountyBest early January · 17 checklists that week, 1,204 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. ClarksvillePike County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 105 in all97%
  2. Clarence Cannon National Wildlife RefugePike County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 708 in all94%
  3. Alton SloughSt. Charles County, best early February · 146 checklists that week, 7,626 in all87%
  4. Eagle Bluffs Conservation AreaBoone County, best mid March · 37 checklists that week, 1,684 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 6.2% of 27231 checklists7 am: 6.8% of 64162 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 67854 checklists9 am: 9.9% of 56515 checklists10 am: 11% of 47496 checklists11 am: 11% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 11% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 11% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 11% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 10% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 8.2% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 5.8% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January15%14%15%15%
February15%12%9.3%14%
March11%11%11%11%
April11%9.7%9.6%8.1%
May6.0%5.2%5.7%5.4%
June3.7%3.5%3.1%3.1%
July3.6%3.7%4.3%4.3%
August4.7%5.3%5.1%5.4%
September5.9%5.6%5.6%7.2%
October7.6%7.5%8.1%9.5%
November8.9%11%11%13%
December13%14%14%15%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives early October, 4 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives early November, in the same week than Missouri

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Missouri?
Bald Eagles are in Missouri all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in late January (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Missouri?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Missouri: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Missouri?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in late January, on about 15% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Pike County, Holt County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).