You’re standing in a field in the middle of a freezing January morning. Your fingers are numb. You’ve got binoculars pressed to your face, and suddenly, the sky just fills with them. Not one, not two, but thirty Bald Eagles swirling above a dam or a half-frozen river. It’s enough to make you forget how to breathe for a second. But once you catch your breath, you probably wonder: what is a group of eagles called?
Honestly, the answer depends on who you ask and what the birds are actually doing. If you’re looking for the "official" trivia answer, it’s a convocation. But if you say that to a group of hardcore ornithologists in the field, they might just look at you funny.
Birds are weird like that. We have these fancy, poetic Victorian terms for groups—a murder of crows, a parliament of owls—but the reality of eagle behavior is way more complex than a single dictionary definition. Sometimes they’re a congregation. Sometimes they’re a jubilee. And when they’re caught in a specific thermal updraft, they’re something else entirely.
Why we use the term convocation (and why it’s kinda formal)
The word "convocation" comes from the Latin convocare, which basically means "to call together." It sounds incredibly dignified. It fits the vibe of an eagle—stately, powerful, and a bit aloof. This term is what we call a "collective noun of assemblage." Most of these names date back to the Book of Saint Albans, printed in 1486. It was a guide to hawking, hunting, and heraldry. Back then, people loved giving animals high-society names to reflect their perceived "status" in the natural world.
But here’s the thing.
Eagles aren't exactly social butterflies. Unlike starlings that fly in massive, synchronized murmurations, eagles are mostly solitary. They’re the "lone wolves" of the sky. You don't usually see them hanging out in groups just for the sake of friendship. When they do gather, it’s usually because there’s a very good reason—like a massive buffet of fish or a perfect pocket of warm air.
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The "Kettle" and the science of soaring
If you see a bunch of eagles circling in the sky together, don’t call it a convocation. Call it a kettle. This is a term used by birders and raptor researchers, especially during migration season.
Why "kettle"?
Because from a distance, the birds look like bubbles rising in a boiling pot of water. They are using "thermals"—columns of warm, rising air—to gain altitude without flapping their wings. It’s pure energy efficiency. An eagle can hitch a ride on a thermal, spiral up thousands of feet, and then glide for miles. When one eagle finds a good thermal, others notice and join in. Suddenly, you have a dozen massive birds spiraling in a tight formation.
Other names you might hear
- A Jubilee: This is a term specifically used when eagles are gathered around an abundance of food. Think of a salmon run in Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. When the fish are spawning and dying, eagles congregate by the hundreds. It’s a feast. A jubilee.
- A Tower: This one is rarer, but it refers to eagles soaring high in the air, especially when they appear to be "stacking" on top of each other in the sky.
- A Congregation: This is a more general, slightly less "fancy" version of convocation. It’s often used in scientific papers to describe a non-breeding group of eagles hanging out in the same area.
Where can you actually see a group of eagles?
You aren't going to see a convocation of eagles in a suburban backyard. You have to go where the physics and the food align.
One of the most famous spots in North America is the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Alaska. In late autumn, thousands of eagles arrive. Why? Because the water there stays unfrozen longer than surrounding areas, trapping a late run of chum salmon. It’s the largest gathering of Bald Eagles in the world. You’ll see them lining the bare branches of cottonwood trees like oversized Christmas ornaments. In that context, "convocation" feels too small. It’s a literal wall of eagles.
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Another great spot is the Mississippi River locks and dams during the winter. As the river freezes, the churning water below the dams stays open and stunts the fish, making them easy pickings. You can stand on a pier in Iowa or Illinois and see fifty eagles in a single view.
Does the species matter?
Mostly, when people ask what is a group of eagles called, they’re thinking of Bald Eagles. But Golden Eagles are different. They are even more solitary. Seeing a "convocation" of Golden Eagles is incredibly rare because they are territorial hunters of the open uplands. They don’t gather around fish guts like Bald Eagles do. If you see more than two Golden Eagles together, it’s usually a mated pair or parents with their fledglings.
The terminology remains the same across species, but the behavior changes the frequency of the name. You’ll hear "kettle" used for almost any raptor, including hawks and vultures, during migration. But "jubilee" is almost exclusively reserved for the fish-loving Bald Eagles.
The linguistic history of animal groups
We owe these weird names to a 15th-century obsession with "proper" English. Dame Juliana Berners, who supposedly authored the Book of Saint Albans, included lists of these names as a way for gentlemen to prove they were educated. If you called a group of eagles a "bunch," you were seen as a peasant. You had to know the "proper" term to fit in with the upper crust.
Fast forward to today, and most of these terms are just fun trivia.
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Biologists usually just say "a concentration" or "an aggregation." It’s boring, sure, but it’s accurate. However, there’s something lost when we give up the poetic names. Calling them a convocation honors the gravity and the almost religious presence these birds have when they gather.
Summary of names for eagle groups
- Convocation: The "official" and most common collective noun.
- Kettle: Used when they are circling in a thermal updraft.
- Jubilee: Used when they are gathered for a feast (like a salmon run).
- Aerie: Not a group of birds, but the nest itself—though people often confuse the two.
- Congregation: A generic term for any gathering of eagles.
Tips for spotting a group yourself
If you want to see a convocation in the wild, timing is everything. Look for "communal roosts." During the winter, eagles often sleep in the same cluster of trees to stay warm and share information about where the food is.
- Check the dams: Look for open water in freezing temperatures.
- Look for "white heads" in the trees: Use binoculars to scan the treeline near rivers. Juveniles are mottled brown and harder to spot, so look for the stark white of the adults first.
- Watch the weather: Clear, sunny days after a cold front are prime time for kettling. The sun heats the ground, creating those warm air thermals the eagles love.
- Use apps like eBird: This is a real-time database where birders log sightings. If a large group of eagles shows up near you, someone has probably posted about it there.
Why it matters
Understanding what is a group of eagles called isn't just about winning a pub quiz. It’s about recognizing the behavior behind the name. When you see a "kettle," you’re seeing a masterclass in aerodynamics. When you see a "jubilee," you’re seeing the raw power of an ecosystem's food chain in action. These names are a bridge between our language and the natural world's complexity.
Next time you’re out by the water and you see a dozen of those massive white-headed shadows perched in the oaks, tell whoever you're with that it’s a convocation. It sounds better. It fits the moment. And honestly, it makes the experience feel just a little bit more legendary.
To see these birds in action, plan a trip to a national wildlife refuge during the winter months. Bring a spotting scope if you can; seeing an eagle’s expression from 200 yards away changes your perspective on the "majesty" of nature. It’s often less about regal posing and more about the grit of survival.