Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area is in Ste. Genevieve County, 10 miles north of Ste. Genevieve along the Mississippi River.
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Status
Name
Species of Conservation Concern
Scientific Name
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Family
Accipitridae (hawks and eagles) in the order Accipitriformes
Description
Mature bald eagles have a dark brown body with white head and tail. The large, hooked bill, strong talons, and irises of the eyes are yellow. Females are larger than males, but otherwise the sexes look alike. In flight, bald eagles soar on rising warm air currents on flattened wings (not holding them in a V-shape). Juveniles are all brown, with white speckles. Voice is a series of chirps or a loud screaming whistle.
Size
Length: 28–40 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail); wingspan: 66–96 inches. Size varies by region. Females are larger than males within the same population.
Where To Find
Bald eagles can be observed statewide, usually near lakes, rivers, and marshes, particularly in winter.
Habitat and Conservation
Bald eagles are usually seen near lakes, rivers, and marshes as they forage for fish or carrion.
The bald eagle’s return to the Lower 48 is a conservation success story: Historically an estimated 100,000 pairs of bald eagles nested in the United States, but by the early 1960s, that number had dropped to 417 nesting pairs. The population declined due to habitat loss, persecution, and the use of DDT, a pesticide that caused eggshells to be thin and crack easily. After laws were enacted to protect eagles from being killed and the use of DDT was banned in the United States, the bald eagle population began to rise. In 2007, bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list. In 2018–2019, more than 70,000 pairs nested in the United States. In 2025, Missouri had more than 600 active nests.
Food
Bald eagles prey on a variety of live animals and also eat carrion. Fish and carrion make up most of the diet, but reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, other birds, and large invertebrates such as crayfish are also eaten.
Status
Common winter migrant; uncommon summer resident. Though bald eagles have made a dramatic comeback on our continent, their presence is still vulnerable within our state, and they remain a species of conservation concern.
Life Cycle
Life Cycle
Bald eagles reach maturity at age 4 or 5 and usually breed near where they were born. They generally mate for life, but if one of the pair disappears or dies, the survivor finds another mate. Courtship includes special calls and flight displays.
They usually nest in large trees. They may use the same nest for years, adding material to it each year. Nests are large and can be more than 13 feet deep and 8 feet across. The average nest in Missouri is 5 feet wide and 2–4 feet deep. A pair produces 1–3 eggs annually, but 2 eggs is most common. When there are three eggs, rarely do all three chicks survive.
Bald eagles acquire full adult plumage around age 5.
In the wild, bald eagles typically live for 15 to 30 years; in captivity, they can live more than 40 years.
Human Connections
As a cherished U.S. national symbol, the bald eagle’s cultural value is hard to estimate.
In Native American cultures, bald eagles are held sacred, and their feathers are important symbols.
Humans played a large role in the decline of eagles in the 1900s. These birds were shot, trapped, and poisoned. They also declined because of habitat loss and pesticide-related nesting failures. But humans also enabled their comeback, enacting laws to ban the most troublesome pesticides and to protect eagles from persecution.
To reestablish the breeding population in Missouri, MDC worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo. From 1981 to 1990, a total of 74 young bald eagles from captive breeding programs or healthy wild populations were released in two locations with good nesting habitat. The young eagles imprinted on these areas and many returned to nest as adults.
Bald eagles can suffer from lead poisoning when they consume carcasses or gut piles left behind by hunters if the remains contain lead shot.
Ecosystem Connections
As scavengers and top predators, bald eagles can suffer negative effects from pesticides that work their way up the food chain. During the mid-20th century, the pesticide DDT accumulated in the bodies of many insects, then in the insect eaters and other small predators, which were then eaten by eagles. The effect of DDT on eagles was the thinning of eggshells so the eggs cracked, and no chicks were produced. This situation that reduced the nesting success of bald eagles and other birds of prey is a classic example of how some molecules pass from prey to predator and become more concentrated in the bodies of animals at the top of the food chain.
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Media Gallery
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In flight, a mature bald eagle is identified by its dark brown body with white head and tail.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
A mature bald eagle is unmistakable with its dark brown body, yellow bill, and white head and tail.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Bald eagles are usually observed near lakes, rivers, and marshes as they forage for fish or carrion.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Young bald eagles are nomadic and acquire adult plumage at about age 5.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
A bald eagle nest is large and can be 13 feet deep and 8 feet across.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
The bald eagle’s return to the Lower 48 is a conservation success story.
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Bald eagles have white heads, large forward-looking eyes and hooked yellow beaks.
Right to Use
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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A bald eagle takes flight early in the morning searching for fish along the Mississippi River in Clarksville, Mo.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Eagle Days are popular events where people can get great views of our national symbol.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Bald eagles soar on wings held flat.This helps distinguish them from turkey vultures, which form a shallow V with their wings.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Eagle soaring high at Eagle Bluffs CA
Credit
Submitted by Lisa Turnbough
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Use of this image is restricted to MDC only
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In late winter, with the trees still bare, the large nests of eagles are easy to spot.
Credit
Julianna Schroeder
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Use of this image is restricted to MDC only
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Caption
Bald Eagle nests can be 13 feet deep and 8 feet across. Look for them in large trees near big rivers, lakes, large wetlands, and other large bodies of water.
Credit
Julianna Schroeder
Right to Use
Use of this image is restricted to MDC only
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Caption
Migrating bald eagles visit western Missouri rivers, wetlands, and lakes in winter to find food such as fish and waterfowl. Some eagle pairs also return to claim a nest built high in trees with large sticks.
Credit
Photo by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation
Right to Use
Photo by Photo by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Video of bald eagles in the wild.
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Audio file
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The bald eagle's high-pitched, shrieking whistle alarms prey-sized birds and animals.
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Similar Species
Similar Species
Where to See Species
Historically, Native Americans occupying this area were principally Osage, Shawnee and Kickapoo.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers has purchased this area as part of the Missouri River Mitigation Project.
Harry S. Truman Reservoir management lands consist of 58,133 acres distributed around the reservoir in parts of Henry, Benton, Hickory, and St. Clair counties in west central Missouri.
The west boundary of this area adjoins the Deroin Bend Conservation Area. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has purchased this area as part of the Missouri River Mitigation Project.
About Birds in Missouri
About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.
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