Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as seacoasts, lakes and rivers where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for roosting. There are approximately 2,000 eagles that migrate to the Middle Mississippi River Valley, making the region's over wintering population the second largest in the continental United States behind the Klamath Basin area of southern Oregon and northern California. The area's eagles come mainly from nesting territories in central Canada and the Great Lake states. When the water freezes up north the eagles migrate south to places like the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, the Alton Lake section of the Mississippi River, the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, Pere Marquette State Park, and the Clarksville area where conditions are favorable. The first eagles are usually spotted in December and they migrate back north in March. See the Where to Watch for details on great eagle watching locations.

The Bald Eagle was adopted as the national symbol of the United States in 1782 because of its independence and strength. Measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) in length and possessing a wingspan of 72-84 inches (1.8-2.1 m), the adult eagle is easily identified by its unmistakable brown body set off by a white head and tail and bright yellow bill. The immature bald eagle lacks the white head and tail and has varying amounts of white spotting over its body, tail and underwings