A Bald Eagle’s diet consists mainly of fish, sometimes making up to 90% of it's diet. When a Bald Eagle is not fishing, it will feed on almost anything it can catch, including ducks, wading birds, turtles, rodents, snakes, and carrion (dead animal matter). Bald Eagles snatch fish from above the surface of the water rather than plunging into the water like an osprey. Since they snatch fish from close to the surface, the fish they seem to catch most are fish with downward looking eyes such as catfish and carp. It is believed fish with upward eyes can see danger approaching and are more likely to escape the talons of an eagle.

Bald Eagles are diurnal hunters. They hunt by playing a waiting game. They spend most of their time perched in trees, using their exceptional eyesight to scan for food. From its perch, a Bald Eagle can see a surfacing fish from a mile away. Once the prey is spotted, the eagle swoops down and snatches up the unsuspecting dinner in it's vice-like talons. The rear talon can be over an inch long, and it often punctures the prey, killing it instantly. Small prey are swallowed whole. Bigger animals are ripped into bite size pieces with the eagle’s powerful beak. Bald Eagles also catch prey by stealing it from other eagles or animals. Bald Eagles have been known to chase down an osprey, causing it to drop it's freshly caught prey. Before the osprey’s prey reaches the ground, the eagle swoops down catching it in midair.

Since Bald Eagles are opportunistic feeders and never know where their next meal is coming from, they have an adaptation that helps them through times of little food. They have an enlarged area in their esophagus called a crop, where they can store large amounts of food. An eagle with a full crop can usually survive at least five to seven days without eating. Eagles, like all raptors, cough up or regurgitate the indigestible parts of their prey. The regurgitated food is coughed up in the form of a pellet. The pellet contains anything that is not digestible, such as fins, scales, fur, bones, feathers and teeth. Bald Eagles have strong stomach acids so usually small bones are not found in pellets. These pellets can help biologists identify what an eagle is eating.

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