By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

During the winter months, there may be more opportunities to spot different wildlife in Texas, including bald eagles.

That’s because the population swells at this time of year, according to Dr. Maureen Frank, wildlife specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
There are bald eagles that live in Texas year-round, but there are additional birds that migrate here for the winter, she said.

“Right now, bald eagles are not nesting. They’re not breeding, but there’s just more of them,” Maureen told the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “During the winter, they’re really just thinking about eating all the time, so you’ll see them out and about more as they go out looking for food.”

The largest numbers of bald eagles are found in Texas from October through May. Peak sightings generally occur in December and January.

“The other reason that we’ll see birds more in the winter is not necessarily that they’re being more active, but with all the leaves off of the trees, sometimes we just notice them more,” Frank said. “So, you may notice them going over an open area or sitting up in a tree that you might not normally have noticed, because there’s less vegetation.”

Texans are most likely to see them near rivers, ponds and along the coast, Frank noted. That’s because fish make up the biggest portion of their diet, followed by small mammals and scavenging.

But don’t look for bald eagles where large trees or other sturdy structures are not available for roosting.

“Bald eagles will only build their nests in pretty significant trees, because they build some of the largest nests of any of our birds. But during this time of year, even though they’re not nesting, just think about what can support a bald eagle. A female bald eagle can weigh up to 14 pounds, which is pretty hefty,” Frank said. “So, they can’t just sit in some little scraggly tree. They have to be in something that’ll support them. Usually you’re looking for big, tall trees near water.”

Spotting a bald eagle is a thrill, but one that may take a little practice. Adult bald eagles are hard to confuse with another species because of their distinctive white heads and brown bodies, but Frank said juvenile birds look very similar to other species like golden eagles or hawks.

“Bald eagles take about four or five years to switch from their juvenile plumage to the adult plumage. For those four years or so, they have brown coloration without white on their heads, which can be very confusing as they look quite a bit like a golden eagle then,” she said.

One key difference is golden eagles are mainly located in the western half of the state, whereas bald eagles may be found anywhere in Texas. A good tell-tale sign of a juvenile bald eagle is a mottled underbelly.

“Bald eagles are kind of mottled underneath. So, they’re brown, but they’ve got kind of these little white patches in places. They almost look a little bit scraggly, like a gangly teenager. They’re not all nice and sharp yet,” Frank said. “The golden eagle has a little bit more white toward the wrist, and they don’t have that mottled white underneath.”

Some people also may confuse crested caracaras with bald eagles, but Frank said the size difference between bald eagles and caracaras should be fairly obvious.

Bald eagles are significantly larger than caracaras and other common Texas species. The caracara also has an orange bill, while a bald eagle’s is yellow.

To learn more about identifying birds, Frank recommended visiting allaboutbirds.org. This website allows visitors to compare different species, including photos of bald eagles at each life stage alongside images of golden eagles or caracaras.

Another resource Frank said Texans may find useful in finding bald eagles near them is ebird.org, hosted by the Cornell University Ornithology Lab.

“People will submit sightings that they’ve seen of any bird, but you can narrow that down to bald eagles. You can look near your area if any reports have been submitted recently,” she said. “Then, that will give you an idea of maybe even a specific park or a specific place along the coast to go look for them.”

At one point, there were only about 400 breeding pairs remaining in the U.S., leading to their placement on the federal endangered species list.

But through conservation efforts, there are now an estimated 10,000 breeding pairs in the continental U.S., with 150 of those located in Texas.

“We do have bald eagles that live here in Texas year-round, but because they’re part of a species that migrates, those are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Those cannot be taken, meaning they cannot be killed or harmed for any reason,” Frank said. “Also, because the bald eagle is our national symbol and because of the importance of both bald and golden eagles, there’s a second law, the Bald and Golden Eagles Protection Act, that also protects them. So, there’s multiple ways that the species is still kind of protected and monitored and cannot be harmed, even though their populations have recovered incredibly well.”

For more information on birding in Texas, visit the AgriLife Extension Wildlife & Fisheries department’s website. Numerous programs are available for novice and experienced birdwatchers, including virtual seminars, weekly discussions, bird identification and more.