The 2 Types of Eagles in Maine: Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles

Anyone researching the types of eagles in Maine quickly learns there are really only two worth knowing well, though a third has occasionally wandered in from across an ocean. Three of the four species of eagle found in North America have been spotted in Maine, and they are the Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, and Steller’s Sea-Eagle. The first two are true residents that any patient birdwatcher can learn to identify, while the third remains a once-in-a-generation sighting.

One of these birds has staged one of the greatest comebacks in American wildlife history, while the other remains so scarce that even lifelong Maine birders may go years without spotting one. This guide breaks down what each eagle looks like, where it lives, and when Maine offers the best chances to see it soaring overhead.

1. Bald Eagle

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The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the eagle most people picture when they think of Maine’s raptors, and for good reason. Bald eagles are among the largest birds in Maine, with adults measuring 28 to 40 inches long and weighing up to 14 pounds, and females noticeably larger than males. Adults are unmistakable with a chocolate-brown body, a bright white head and tail, and a large yellow hooked bill. In flight, bald eagles hold their wings in a straight horizontal plane while soaring, a helpful clue for telling them apart from other large raptors. Juveniles look far less distinctive, showing mottled brown and white plumage that can persist for years before the classic adult look develops.

Fish dominate the bald eagle’s diet in Maine. Fish make up the majority of their diet, especially species such as alewife, salmon, trout, and herring, and they often hunt by soaring above water and swooping down to snatch fish near the surface with their talons. When fish are scarce, particularly in winter, bald eagles frequently rely on carrion, feeding on deer carcasses, waterfowl remains, or roadkill, and they are also known for stealing prey from other birds, particularly ospreys, a behavior known as kleptoparasitism.

Bald eagle nests, called eyries, are some of the largest structures built by any North American bird. Generations of bald eagles will use the same nesting territory sequentially over decades, and a Sagadahoc County nest found in 1963 measured 20 feet vertically, with biologists conservatively estimating it had been in use for at least 60 years. Because these nests keep growing heavier each season, they occasionally collapse under their own weight, forcing the resident pair to start over nearby.

Pro Tip: Bradbury Mountain State Park is one of the best inland spots to combine hawk-watching with eagle sightings. The park is a popular spot to see hawks, bald eagles, American kestrels, and merlins during migration. Coastal watchers should try Acadia National Park, Penobscot Bay, and Casco Bay, where coastal areas offer excellent bald eagle viewing year-round.

Timing matters for anyone hoping to see the highest concentrations of birds. Bald eagles can be spotted all year in Maine, but their numbers increase during migration from March to April and August to October, and they are recorded in 7% of summer checklists, 9% of winter checklists, and up to 13% of checklists during migration submitted by bird watchers for the state. Anglers, dam operators, and anyone near a fish-rich waterway have a good shot at multiple sightings during these windows.

The species’ recovery is one of the defining conservation stories in state history. In 1972, the year bald eagles received protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, Maine was down to an estimated 29 nesting pairs and only eight eaglets, a dramatic collapse from the roughly 1,000 pairs that had nested there generations earlier.

Recovery took decades of careful management, and by the early 2000s the population had rebounded dramatically.

• 1972: An estimated 29 nesting pairs remained statewide, following decades of decline.
• 2003: The population census reached 309 nesting pairs, a peak year, while 280 eaglets fledged marked a production record.
• 2013–2018: Nesting bald eagles increased numerically in all sixteen Maine counties, with growth rates in nine counties exceeding the 16% statewide average over that five-year span.
• Recent counts: According to the Kezar Lake Watershed Association, Maine now has over 750 nesting pairs statewide.

That growth didn’t happen everywhere at the same pace. The primary growth in numbers of bald eagles nesting in the state continued to shift westward and northward from the traditional stronghold and source population in Downeast Maine. Legal protections have played a central role throughout this recovery, since national management guidelines adopted under the federal Bald Eagle–Golden Eagle Protection Act are now the primary legal standard applicable to bald eagle nests in Maine.

Readers who enjoy tracking regional raptor comebacks may also want to compare notes with the recovery documented in the types of eagles found in New York or the population trends covered in the guide to eagles native to Minnesota, both states with their own long-running bald eagle recovery programs.

2. Golden Eagle

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The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is Maine’s rarest resident eagle, and one that even experienced birders can easily overlook. Golden and bald eagles are about the same size, standing around 2.5 feet tall with a wingspan of 6.5 feet and weighing around ten pounds on average, with females approximately 30% larger than males. Despite matching the bald eagle in raw size, golden eagles remain far harder to spot.

Several physical traits separate the two species once you know what to look for. Golden eagles have a relatively smaller head and beak compared to bald eagles, and they have feathers down to their feet, which bald eagles do not. Juveniles carry their own distinct markings: juvenile golden eagles are dark except for a broad band of white at the base of the tail feathers and distinct white patches under the wing, with amber plumage on the back of the head and neck, as adults also have.

Key Insight: Nesting habits offer another clue. A wildlife biologist quoted by WGME noted that golden eagles tend to prefer rocky cliffs for nesting, as opposed to the stick nests bald eagles have grown accustomed to building in Maine.

Golden eagles were never abundant in Maine, and their numbers fell sharply during the last century. The golden eagle population declined steeply in the 20th century, and a fledgling has not been observed in the state since 1960, while Maine’s last territorial adult disappeared after 1997. Today, the only confirmed breeding pairs remaining in eastern North America are located in Canada. Most of what Mainers see now are transient birds passing through rather than year-round residents.

Seasonal timing is critical for anyone hoping to spot one. Golden eagles are not spotted very often in Maine, but there have been a couple of sightings during winter from November to April, including recent records around Acadia National Park and Boothbay Harbor. A local naturalist explained to WGME that the golden eagles seen in Maine are likely younger birds that haven’t yet found and established their own territory, which helps explain why sightings can pop up in unexpected places.

Habitat data collected through an ongoing research effort paints a fuller picture of where these birds spend their time. During migration, golden eagles can be found throughout the state, and recent trail camera data has documented individuals in the western mountains, mid-coast, and coastal regions during both migration and winter, though their apparent absence elsewhere may simply reflect limited camera coverage rather than a true lack of eagles. Some individuals appear to return to favored wintering grounds year after year, since trail cameras have documented individuals returning to the same locations in successive winters, suggesting potential site fidelity.

Maine wildlife officials are actively working to close the knowledge gaps around this elusive species. Despite being one of the state’s largest birds, golden eagles can sometimes hide in plain sight, since they more often inhabit inland forests and small openings and are frequently misidentified or overlooked, even by experienced outdoor observers. The Maine Golden Eagle Study, run through the state’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, tracks where these birds travel and which habitats they favor, building a foundation that also informs decisions on large-scale developments such as wind energy projects.

Golden eagles are far more common elsewhere in the country, which is part of why Maine sightings generate so much excitement among birdwatchers. In North America, golden eagles are primarily found in the western United States, Alaska, and Canada, with only a few rare sightings occurring in Maine, where they are considered migratory and rare. Birders who want to see golden eagles in greater numbers often travel to states covered in guides such as the eagle species found in Arizona or the eagles native to Colorado, where the western population is considerably more established.

Range expansion research has turned up a few surprises farther south along the East Coast. Nesting was verified in both Tennessee and Georgia following prolonged reintroductions in the latter state during the 1980s, and similar range questions are actively being studied in states covered by the guide to eagles in Tennessee and the overview of eagles in Virginia.

Important Note: A third eagle species has technically appeared in Maine, though it isn’t a resident. The Steller’s sea eagle, a native of Russia and among the rarest raptors in the world, is larger than the bald eagle and first appeared in the Maine mid-coast just before the onset of 2022. After spending three months in the area, it flew away to Newfoundland before re-appearing at the same location in February 2023. Sightings this rare draw birdwatchers from across the US and Canada, but this bird should not be confused with Maine’s two true resident eagle species.

Side-by-side, the differences between Maine’s two eagles become much easier to spot in the field.

Feature	Bald Eagle	Golden Eagle
Adult head and tail	Bright white	Dark brown with golden nape
Legs	Bare, yellow	Feathered down to the feet
Soaring wing position	Flat, horizontal	Shallow dihedral (V shape)
Preferred habitat	Near water: lakes, rivers, coast	Open uplands, mountains, forests
Status in Maine	Common, year-round resident	Rare, mostly migratory or overwintering
Typical nest site	Tall trees near water (eyries)	Rocky cliffs

Habitat and behavior remain the fastest way to tell the two apart at a distance. Bald eagles are strongly associated with water and are common and conspicuous, while golden eagles are rare, quiet, and tied to open uplands. An eagle fishing along the coast or perched near a river is almost certainly a bald eagle, while one soaring high over a mountain ridge in late fall has a better chance of being the golden variety.

Both species reward patient observation, whether that means watching a nest through a scope on a quiet lake or scanning ridgelines during the fall migration push. Backyard birdwatchers curious about smaller species sharing the same skies can explore related guides on Maine’s resident owls, the finches found across the state, or even the many hummingbird species that visit New England yards each summer. Whichever bird brings you outside, Maine’s mix of coastline, lakes, and mountain ridges makes it one of the more rewarding places in the Northeast to watch raptors overhead.