What Sound Does an Eagle Make?

A bald eagle has several distinct calls. The adult calls consist mostly of a series of high-pitched whistling or piping notes. The female has a distinctive mating call, a protracted low, soft note.

The call of a bald eagle has sometimes been described as weak and as a cackling type of laugh. Juveniles and young have a “begging” call. There is also a low kuk-kuk-kuk call.

The bald eagle is the symbol for the United States. In most cases where a bald eagle appears as a symbol for the United States, the bird’s cry is dubbed with the sound of a red-tailed hawk, because the bald eagle’s cry is considered to sound insufficiently impressive.