Midwest · Mississippi Flyway

Eagles in Michigan

Eagles in Michigan come down to 2 species with regular eBird records, led by the Bald Eagle. Together they account for 146,284 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 0.7% 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 Michigan on eBird — Bald Eagle, the most-reported eagle in Michigan. Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

2Species regularly recorded

1Year-round residents

1Seasonal visitors

146,284eBird records analysed

Eagles in Michigan: 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-round143,622 eBird records · 0.7% of state records

Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosMigration2,662 eBird records · 0.01% of state records

1. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) — 143,622 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.

2. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) — 2,662 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in January, February, March and April with a peak in November.

When to see eagles in Michigan

Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, eagles are most prominent in January, December and February and least in June and May. 1 of the 2 species is year-round — Bald Eagle — so there is no month without them.

Passage migrants. Golden Eagle is reported mainly in January, February, March and April.

Attracting eagles to Michigan 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 Michigan the eagle most likely to turn up is the Bald Eagle.

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

Eagles in Michigan: FAQ

How many species of eagles are there in Michigan?

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

What is the most common eagle in Michigan?

The Bald Eagle, with 143,622 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Golden Eagle with 2,662. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.

When is the best time to see eagles in Michigan?

January, December and February, when the combined share of Michigan eBird records belonging to eagles is highest.

Are there eagles in Michigan?

Yes. the Bald Eagle (143,622 eBird records, year-round) and the Golden Eagle (2,662 eBird records, migration) are regularly recorded in Michigan.

Eagles in Michigan: 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: Michigan 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.