PHOENIX (AZFamille) — America’s favorite bird soars high here in Arizona.

THE bald eagle the population is experiencing record numbers, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department annual report.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to see this population continually growing. They are moving into more areas,” said Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, Arizona Fish and Game Raptor Management Coordinator.

Jacobson is part of a team that monitors every bald eagle nest across the state.

“The highest nesting density occurs just outside of Phoenix,” he said.

The bald eagle population, in general, has a checkered past.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceBald eagles were listed as endangered for about four decades until their delisting in 2007.

Today, the population has reached record numbers. Here are the numbers for Arizona in 2024:

• Number of breeding areas: 104, previous record of 99 in 2023
• Number of occupied breeding areas: 90, previous record of 82 in 2023
• Number of active breeding areas: 79, previously 72
• Number of eggs laid: at least 119, previous record of 104 in 2021 and 2022
• Successful breeding attempts: 51, previous 45 in 2023
• Number of young hatched: 96, compared to 87 previously in 2021 and 2018
• Number of fledglings: 77, previous 70 in 2018

“I think a lot of that has to do with the decades of management we’ve put into this species here in Arizona. We have rescued and returned to the wild probably 100 bald eagles that would have died otherwise,” Jacobson said. “If you find a nest and the birds are flying around vocalizing, you’re a little too close and enjoy it from a distance and let’s help that population continue to grow.”

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