A bald eagle pair, the larger female on the leftThe sexes look the same, but females are about 25 percent larger. Draw one bird twice, at two sizes.
A bald eagle's white head and yellow hooked beakWhite head feathers against a dark brown body. The beak and the irises are bright yellow.
A bateleur's oversized head and small billAn extremely large head for its size and a rather small bill. On adults the bare face is bright red.
A golden eagle's head with its golden-brown napeDark brown all over, with lighter golden-brown feathers on the nape. Leave the nape the palest part.
A harpy eagle's pale gray face and black billA pale gray head crowned with a double crest, over a black bill. Split the crest into two tufts.
A heraldic eagle's head alone on a shieldIn heraldry the head of an eagle can stand by itself. Flat color, one eye and a strong hooked beak.
A Philippine eagle face on, long nape feathers like a maneLong brown nape feathers form a shaggy crest like a mane. Dark face, blue-gray eyes, a high-arched beak.
A Steller's sea eagle's deep yellow bill, side onProbably the largest bill of any living eagle, and yellow even on young birds. Make it deep and hooked.
A wedge-tailed eagle's eye, pupil very largeEagles have extremely large pupils. This kind's sight is estimated at twice as sharp as a person's.
An African fish eagle's bare yellow faceA snow white head and breast, a featherless yellow face, and a yellow beak with a black tip.
An immature bald eagle, brown where the white will beThe white head comes with age: the plumage of an immature bald eagle is brown. Same beak, no white.
Bald and golden eagles compared, beak to beakOne white head with a bright yellow beak, one dark brown head with a golden-brown nape. Both beaks hooked.
In flight 12
A bald eagle gliding, white at both endsEvenly dark brown between a white head and a white tail. The tail is slightly wedge shaped.
A bald eagle skimming a lake, talons loweredIt swoops down and snatches fish from the water with its talons. Legs forward, wings held high.
A bateleur gliding, bowed wings and a stub of a tailLong, bow-like wings and a uniquely short tail. It spends much of its time soaring.
A booted eagle in fast, direct flightOne of the smallest eagles, the size of a common buzzard, with longer and more evenly broad wings.
A golden eagle soaring over open hillsThe Aquila eagles of open country are noted for soaring, on wings that are fairly long for their size.
A harpy eagle turning between rainforest trunksIts wingspan is small for its size but the wings are broad, which helps it turn among trees.
A heraldic eagle displayed, wings and legs spreadDisplayed is the pose most often found on a shield: wings and legs stretched out to both sides.
A heraldic eagle rising, about to take flightIn heraldry, rising means about to take off. Lift the wings and keep the feet down.
A Philippine eagle gliding, white underwingsDark brown on the back, white on the underside and underwings, with a fairly long tail.
A Steller's sea eagle with wings at full spreadDark brown with white on the wings and a white tail. One of the largest wingspans of any eagle, about 2.1 m.
A wedge-tailed eagle overhead, tail a clear wedgeLong, broad wings and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. Taper the tail to a blunt point.
A young golden eagle in flight, white in its tailImmature golden eagles usually show white on the tail and often white marks on the wings.
Talons, perches and nests 12
A bald eagle dwarfed by its own 4 m deep nestThe largest tree nest recorded for any animal: up to 4 m deep and 2.5 m wide. Make it dwarf the bird.
A bald eagle on an old tree above open waterIt lives by big open waters with old trees for nesting. Upright body, yellow feet.
A bateleur standing on short legs and big red feetLarge feet on relatively short legs. On adults the feet and the bare face are bright red.
A golden eagle's eyrie on a cliff ledgeAn eagle's nest is called an eyrie. Golden eagles build large nests on cliffs and return to them for years.
A golden eagle's leg, feathered to the footBooted eagles have feathers over the lower leg, where many other birds of prey have bare legs.
A harpy eagle's foot with its 12 cm talonsA female's talons average 12.3 cm. Toes yellow, the feathers of the lower leg striped black.
A heraldic eagle close, wings foldedIn heraldry, close means the wings are folded. One tall shape with a hooked beak at the top.
A sea eagle's foot: short stout toes, curved talonsIn sea and fish eagles the toes are short and stout, and the sole is rough for holding slippery fish.
A wedge-tailed eagle's stick nest in the tallest treeIt usually builds a large stick nest in the largest tree of a stand, and typically lays two eggs.
A young Philippine eagle gripping a knotholeYoung birds at play grip knotholes in trees with their talons, balancing with wings and tail.
An African fish eagle watching from a branchIt watches from a perch in a tree before it swoops to the water. White head, breast and tail.
Two eagle eggs side by side in an eyrieMany kinds of eagle lay two eggs, in a nest built in a tall tree or on a high cliff.
Kinds: bald, golden, harpy 12
A bald eagle standing: dark brown, white endsBald is an old word for white on the head, not for hairless. Dark brown body, white head and tail.
A bateleur adult: red face, red feet, tiny tailThe bare face and the feet are bright red and the tail is uniquely short. Bill black, yellow and red.
A golden eagle standing, dark brown all overA dark brown eagle of the Northern Hemisphere. The one lighter patch is the golden-brown nape.
A Great Nicobar serpent eagle, the smallest eagleThe smallest kind: about 40 cm long and 450 g. A harpy eagle is more than twice as long.
A harpy eagle standing: slate black, white, graySlate black above and mostly white below, with a pale gray head and three gray bands on the tail.
A juvenile bateleur, drab brown with a longer tailYoung bateleurs are largely drab brown, and their tails are longer than those of the adults.
A Philippine eagle standing on heavy yellow legsBrown and white with a shaggy crest. Heavy yellow legs, large dark claws and a bluish-gray beak.
A Steller's sea eagle: dark brown, white, yellowA sturdy eagle: dark brown with white on the wings and tail; beak and talons are yellow.
A two-headed eagle from an old coat of armsThe eagle of the Holy Roman Empire had two heads, said to stand for the old Roman Empire's East and West.
A wedge-tailed eagle standing, legs fully featheredThe largest bird of prey in Australia: brown to black, with feathered legs and a strong beak.
A white-tailed eagle beside a bald eagleA close pair of about equal size: one tan-headed with a paler brown body, one white-headed.
An African fish eagle, white front, brown bodyHead, breast and tail are snow white, the body mostly brown and the large wings black.
How it works
Eagles to draw, 48 of them: heads and beaks, birds in flight, talons, perches and nests, and kinds from the bald eagle to the bateleur. The page opens on the 19 easy ones.
Read the full guide
What makes it an eagle
A heavy head, a very large hooked beak, strong legs and powerful talons. Then the kind: a bald eagle has a white head and tail on a dark brown body, a golden eagle a golden-brown nape, a harpy eagle a double crest on a pale gray head.
Eagle art ideas beyond the sketch
The heraldic poses make flat designs for a print or a badge: displayed, with wings and legs spread; close, with wings folded; rising, about to fly. Choose Any level under the button for all 48. Kind, under More filters, keeps the list to one group.
Block in the beak before the eye. On an eagle the beak is heavier than on most birds of prey.
Questions and answers
What is the easiest eagle to draw?
A bald eagle's head in profile: a white shape, one yellow hooked beak and one eye. A heraldic eagle with its wings folded is a single tall outline. Easy holds 19.
Why is it called a bald eagle?
Bald comes from an older use of the word that meant white on the face or head, not hairless. Adults are an even dark brown, with white head and tail. Young birds are brown.
What is an eagle's nest called?
An eyrie. Eagles normally build it in a tall tree or on a high cliff, and many kinds lay two eggs. The bald eagle's is the largest tree nest recorded, up to 4 m deep and 2.5 m wide.
How do you draw a harpy eagle?
Start with the double crest on a pale gray head and a black bill. The back is slate black, the underside mostly white, and the leg feathers are striped black. Keep the wings broad.