National Eagle Center

09/02/2026

🦅🥩 EAGLE 101: HOW DO EAGLES GULP FOOD SO QUICKLY? SPECIAL TONGUES! 🥩🦅

When it comes to eating, we have several phrases that equate eating a lot or eating extremely quickly to an animal. A person can "pig out" our "eat like a horse", but it would also be quite fitting to say, "they really ate like an eagle" when someone does both. As we've covered many times before, eagles aren't keen to share food with each other, and that often leads to them eating a lot of a food very quickly to prevent another eagle from coming along and stealing their meal. As a result, they will gulp down what seem like impossibly large chunks of food.

How do they do it?

It turns out that a Bald Eagle's anatomy two unique features than work in tandem: rear-facing barbs on the back of their tongue and the crop, that widened portion of their esophagus that is used to hold food during digestion as the meal is digested one small piece at a time in their walnut-sized stomach.

When they grab a large piece of food, the barbs hook into it and help push it back into their throat down toward the crop. The crop is impressive as it can store upwards of two pounds of food at a time! In fact, an eagle can gorge itself to the point that it is too heavy to fly away until it digests some of that meal to lighten the load which can take several hours! 😲

In this photo shared with us by Carol Spurway, we get a good look at one of the barbs. You can clearly see its structure and how it can catch a piece of meat and force it in. It's the perfect tool for when an eagle needs to pack it in quickly! Great shot, Carol! 🦅😯😃👍

09/02/2026

🦅😃 SEE YOU AT GREAT MINNESOTA GET TOGETHER TODAY! 😃🦅

Headed to State Fair today? Stop by the National Eagle Center table by the DNR stage and the fish pond until 3pm! Ask questions, test your grip strength against an eagles, and learn about upcoming winter season activities! See you at the Fair!!! ☀️😎👍👍

09/01/2026

🦅👀 EAGLE 101 - THAT PERMANENT SCOWL IS NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE ANGRY 👀🦅

Bald Eagles are an iconic bird that also sport an iconic look. That permanent scowl they possess lends itself to some popular jokes like on the "Tough Old Bird" and "I Am Smiling" apparel and keepsakes that we sell a lot of in our gift store. Yes, Bald Eagles feature a tough, all-business look, but it has absolutely nothing to do with mood and everything to do with protecting their precious eyes.

The reason Bald Eagles (and eagles generally) look as though they have a furrowed brow is because of their prominent "orbital ridge", a protrusion of bone from their skull that helps shield their eyes in their sockets from physical injury and also helps shield their eyes from sunlight. Their eyes are extremely important! As visually-oriented creatures, protecting their primary sense is of the utmost importance. Having that orbital bone stick out gives added protection to the eyeball. We humans have this to a much lesser extent, but our eyes also sit back in our eye sockets, with our cheek bones and orbital bones sticking out slightly to provide some extra protection from physical objects that might come near our eyes.

Additionally, and you can see it nicely in this photo shared by Charlie Anderson, that prominent orbital ridge does serve to shade the eyes just a bit from direct sunlight. This helps their vision on sunny days as, just like us, too much direct light serves to temporarily blind them. It's a lot easier than trying to wear sunglasses. 😎😄😉

09/01/2026

🦅🍁 FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME TO DRIVE THE GREAT RIVER ROAD! 🍁🦅

Fall colors, wildlife, and a TON of wonderful parks and attractions! Get out there this fall! 😎👍

The Governor has declared September 2026 Drive the Great River Road Month! Where will the Great River Road take you this fall?

08/31/2026

🦅👵👴 CONNECTION DAY FOR SEPTEMBER: GRANDPARENTS 👴👵🦅

Did summer fly by and you weren't able enjoy that day trip with the grandkids to visit the Eagle Ambassadors? No worries - Grandparents Connection Day is Sunday, September 13! All grandparents receive complimentary admission all day! So mark your calendar and plan that day trip with the grandkids to see the eagles! 🦅😃👍👍

08/31/2026

🦅🍂 EAGLE 101: WHAT'S IN STORE AS THE SEASONS CHANGE 🍂🦅

Today is the last day of meteorological summer in the northern hemisphere. While it will not instantly feel like fall starting tomorrow, subtle changes are happening, the days are slowly growing shorter and the natural world is marking time. So what lies in store for eagles and raptors in the coming months? Let's take a look!

Many raptors migrate, but that migration is nowhere near the scale of songbirds wherein millions of birds instinctually head south for the winter, whether to the Gulf coast, Central America or South America. Somer raptors don't migrate at all and for others, like Bald Eagles, migration depends entirely on conditions. For example, Bald Eagles in Florida aren't going anywhere for the winter. Conditions stay very mild and access to food is unchanged during the winter. Conversely, Bald Eagles in the Upper Midwest and up into Canada may migrate to some extent this upcoming winter season, but that is not guaranteed, nor is the distance they move set. If the lake, river or reservoir where they get fish freezes over, they'll need to move if there is no other reliable food source for the winter. But if it is a mild winter, they may not migrate at all.

Eagles don't need to make any decisions quite yet, but as we advance into the fall season and eventually winter, whether to stay or move will be increasingly on their minds. In the meantime, they'll be watching many songbirds and waterfowl passing by on migration as they watch over the landscape from their perches. Photo by Nancy Nygaard. 🦅🍁🍂☀️😄😎👍

08/28/2026

🎉🍷 A DELICIOUS, FUN AND BEAUTIFUL EVENING - IT'S TASTE OF WABASHA! 🍷🎉

Taste of Wabasha is three weeks away and the excitement is building! Do you have your tickets? You'll enjoy food from Herb & Arrow, Olde Triangle Pub, Fresh Wok, Empire Catering, Old Legion Coffee, and amazing Lark Toys confections to go with live music all evening long. We have the pre-party cruise aboard the Spirit of the Water from 4pm-6pm and an impressive silent auction featuring an 8-Day European River Cruise for 2 from Viking! Plus, there will be art, experiences, dining packages and MORE! Supporting the National Eagle Center and the Eagle Ambassadors has never been more tasty or fun! It's all sponsored by our wonderful sponsors: Treasure Island Resort & Casino and Lakeshirts. Don't delay - reserve your tickets TODAY! bit.ly/3UNGsRt 🦅😃🍛🍤🍢🍷🍴👍👍

08/28/2026

🦅🦆🤔 EAGLE 101: FITTING THE BILL. OR IS IT BEAK? 🤔🦆🦅

Have you ever noticed that when talking about wildlife, specifically birds, that sometimes people refer to a "bill" and other times they use the term "beak"? It's very likely be that you've never heard someone mentions a duck's "beak" or an eagle's "bill". Is there a difference and, if so, what is it?

Technically speaking, there is no difference - the terms are synonymous and all birds have a beak/bill. Even so, people (even ornithologists) use the words at different times, or perhaps even exclusively with certain types of birds. As a result, the words invoke very different images in our mind, with the term "bill" having a particularly strong association with waterfowl.

A search of various birding websites and resources will produce lots of differing categorizations or differences for when each term is used. For example, many resources refer to "beaks" as being sharp or pointed and associated with meat-eating birds, whereas "bills" are typically longer and flatter and associated with aquatic species. But regardless of which term you use or prefer, they are indeed the same thing. 🦅🦆😊😉

08/28/2026

🦋🕷️🐜🐝 BIG JO PRESENTATION SERIES PROGRAM THIS SUNDAY! 🐝🐜🕷️🦋

Enjoy some time in Wabasha's Riverfront Amphitheater and join Wabasha Bird City this Sunday, August 30 from 1-3:30pm for the Big Jo Presenter Series program "Nature's Crawling and Flying Creatures"! Perfect for learners of all ages, come to learn about these amazing creatures from a distance or close up! It's a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into very important players in the this region's ecosystem and enjoy a beautiful late summer day along the Mississippi River. See you Sunday! 😃😎👍