05/29/2026
🦅💧🐟 EAGLE 101: FRESHWATER OR SALTWATER, IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE FOR BALD EAGLES 🐟💧🦅
Bald Eagles love water! It is the one constant you will find wherever they live. Across North America, the highest population concentrations are in locations where water is a major feature, like rivers (ex: Mississippi River), lakes, or the coast.
One of our favorite games to play here at the Center is having our guests guess the state with the largest Bald Eagle population. We tell them that of all the 50 states, Alaska has the largest population of Bald Eagles, Minnesota has the second largest population, and Wisconsin has the fourth largest population. Which state ranks third? Oftentimes, people think for a second and scratch their heads before guessing something like Michigan or Washington. For some reason, people often think of Bald Eagles as living up north, not south. If they don't guess the correct answer, we inform them that Florida has the third-largest Bald Eagle population.
Few places in North America have such an abundance of water as Florida. In fact, it ranks second behind Alaska for the state with the most coastline with over 1,300 miles! However, a lot of the water in Alaska and Florida is saltwater, but Bald Eagles don't mind - they can eat both fresh and saltwater fish, and while they don't drink salt water, the swamps and lakes of Florida and rivers of Alaska offer plenty of fresh water. Ambassador Was'aka is a Florida eagle (smaller than his northern counterparts) and the world record largest Bald Eagle nest was recorded near St. Petersburg, FL.
In short, it doesn't matter if it is fresh or saltwater, if you're in North America and there is abundant water, you can bet that there are probably some Bald Eagles around. Photo by Cindy Novoa. 🦅😃😍👍👍
