- A popular bald eagle from California’s Big Bear Valley, watched by millions around the world through a livestream nest camera, has died.
- Jackie, as the bird was known, was admitted to the Ojai Raptor Center after rescuers found her grounded and fighting with two juvenile bald eagles in the Big Bear Valley.
- Dehydrated and anemic when she was found, Jackie developed blood clots in her wing and kidney, leading to her declining health and eventual death despite three weeks of intensive veterinary care.
- Jackie’s and her mate Shadow’s popularity spurred a $10 million donation for a land trust to purchase parts of their habitat slated for a luxury housing development.
Jackie, a beloved bald eagle who called California’s Big Bear Valley in the U.S. home for all her life, has died. She was 14 years old. She was found on the ground, fighting with two young eagles on July 18 and was taken to the Ojai Raptor Center, where she was being treated for severe anemia and dehydration.
The center announced< that she died in the evening hours of Aug. 9, 2026, despite intensive veterinary care and a blood transfusion. Jackie had additional health challenges after she was admitted, including a large blood clot in her wing and kidney, according to the center.
Jackie and her mate Shadow gained worldwide attention through the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s live camera feed. The camera, set up in 2015 when another bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) pair used the nest, streamed the happenings at Jackie and Shadow’s 145-meter- (476-foot-) high abode, sitting atop a Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi).
Since 2018, when this bonded pair began breeding, the public as they mated, laid eggs, hatched them and fed the chicks until they fledged. The pair successfully raised seven chicks but lost a few over the years.
A dedicated Facebook page with 1.3 million followers, run by volunteers, regularly posted highlights about the goings on in the nest, entertaining and educating the public about bald eagles and their behavior. People virtually cheered as each chick reached a milestone and wept when they didn’t survive.
The bald eagle duo was a special hit among schoolteachers, who frequently wrote on Facebook that they set up the livestream in their classrooms during the nesting season (winter through early summer) so students could watch. Each year, the chicks’ names were chosen by local third graders.
“Millions of people who will never set foot near Big Bear have watched, for years, as this eagle and her mate raised eaglets, lost eggs, survived extreme weather, fought for their nest — and, most recently, as the eagle fought for her own life. Sharing her story inspired deep care in people and a broader understanding of why conservation matters,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife director Meghan Hertel in a press release. “While this eagle’s story has ended, the inspiration and the lessons she gave so many people won’t be forgotten.”
The eagles had indeed inspired conservation efforts in their own way. Thanks to their popularity and people’s concern for the duo and their chicks, the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley announced in July 2026 that it raised $10 million to save 25 hectares (63 acres) of undisturbed forests and shoreline used by Jackie and Shadow. The money, collected from more than 25,000 donors, will be used by the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust to purchase an area where 50 luxury homes and a marina had been slated for construction.
Jackie’s remains, state officials said, will be transported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository, which distributes eagle remains, parts and feathers to enrolled members of federally recognized tribes throughout the U.S. for religious, cultural, ceremonial and educational purposes.
Jackie was so beloved that her passing prompted a public statement from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“California mourns Jackie, the Big Bear bald eagle who reminded us of the beauty and wonder of California’s wildlife, and our shared responsibility to protect the habitats that sustain it,” Newsom said in a press release. “We’re grateful to the Ojai Raptor Center and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who partnered with our California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help Jackie in her time of need.”
Banner Image: Jackie and Shadow caring for their egg in their nest in the Big Bear Valley in 2019. Image by San Bernardino Nat’l Forest via Wikimedia Commons.
Spoorthy Raman is a staff writer at Mongabay, covering all things wild with a special focus on lesser-known wildlife, the wildlife trade, and environmental crime.
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