How much can a Bald Eagle lift?
Bald eagles generally weigh between 4 – 6 kilograms (I’ll let you look up the conversion to pounds !), although some have been found both below and above this range, with some Alaskan eagles recorded with weights of well over 7 kg. Female eagles are the larger and heavier of the sexes. Now that we now how much eagles themselves can weigh, we can use that to define how much they can “lift”. Of many prey items found in nests and weighed, a good general rule seems to be that eagles can carry up to half of their own weight. This obviously means female eagles are able to carry more larger prey than the males. Sometimes, eagles have trouble judging the weight of prey. I’ve witnessed eagles in Alaska “lock on” to a large salmon, obviously heavier than could be carried away in flight, and the eagle is very capable of floating and “swimming” to shore with its prey, rather than give it up. Then, dragged up on shore, the feasting begins.
