West · Pacific Flyway

Eagles in California

Eagles in California come down to 2 species with regular eBird records, led by the Bald Eagle. Together they account for 122,742 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 0.2% of everything reported in the state.

The full list: Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle. Two eagles occur regularly in the United States: the Bald Eagle, which nests near open water and has recovered strongly from its mid-twentieth-century decline, and the Golden Eagle of western mountains and open country. Both are among the largest raptors on the continent.

Bald Eagle, the most-reported of the eagles in California on eBird — Bald Eagle, the most-reported eagle in California. Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

2Species regularly recorded

2Year-round residents

0Seasonal visitors

122,742eBird records analysed

Eagles in California: every species, most-reported first

Every eagle with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.

Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusYear-round86,036 eBird records · 0.1% of state records

Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosYear-round36,706 eBird records · 0.06% of state records

1. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) — 86,036 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.

2. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) — 36,706 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.

When to see eagles in California

Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, eagles are most prominent in January, February and December and least in September and August. All of the 2 species are year-round — Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle — so there is no month without them.

Attracting eagles to California backyards

Eagles are birds to go and see. Bald Eagles concentrate below dams and on open water in winter and at nest sites in late winter and spring; most states now have well-known nest-viewing spots.

In California the eagle most likely to turn up is the Bald Eagle, a year-round resident, followed by the Golden Eagle.

All birds in California →Feeder guides →California native plants →

Eagles in California: FAQ

How many species of eagles are there in California?

2 species of eagles have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle.

What is the most common eagle in California?

The Bald Eagle, with 86,036 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Golden Eagle with 36,706. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.

When is the best time to see eagles in California?

Any time of year — every eagle regularly recorded in California is a year-round resident. Their combined share of eBird records is highest in January, February and December.

Are there eagles in California?

Yes. the Bald Eagle (86,036 eBird records, year-round) and the Golden Eagle (36,706 eBird records, year-round) are regularly recorded in California.

Eagles in California: sources

Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: California records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Accipitridae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.