Jackie was a wild bald eagle whose life above Big Bear Lake, California, was witnessed and cherished by millions of people around the world. Believed to have hatched in 2012, she was the first documented bald eagle chick born in Big Bear Valley—a place where bald eagles had once been seasonal visitors rather than permanent residents.
The young eagle was originally named Jack in honor of a longtime volunteer who participated in Forest Service bald eagle counts. As she grew larger than both of her parents, Ricky and Lucy, observers recognized that she was female, and her name became Jackie.
Unlike most young bald eagles, which leave their birthplace for several years, Jackie apparently remained in Big Bear Valley. Around 2016, she returned to the nest once occupied by her parents and eventually made it her own. The nest had been equipped with a camera by Friends of Big Bear Valley, allowing viewers an extraordinary, unscripted look into the life of a wild eagle.
Jackie first raised young with a male known as Mr. B. In 2018, another eagle arrived and persistently remained within the territory. He was named Shadow, and after Mr. B departed, Jackie and Shadow formed the partnership that would make them one of the world’s best-known bald eagle pairs.
For years, viewers watched Jackie and Shadow build and repair their nest, share food, protect their territory, incubate eggs and care for their young. They endured deep snow, strong winds, freezing temperatures, failed eggs and the loss of eaglets. Through every difficult season, Jackie repeatedly returned to the nest and began again.
She became especially admired for her determination as a mother. During a severe winter storm in 2024, Jackie remained on her eggs for nearly 62 consecutive hours while snow accumulated around her. Although those eggs did not hatch, her perseverance touched viewers across the world.
Jackie laid 25 eggs documented by the nest camera, 10 of which hatched. Her eaglets included BBB, Stormy, Cookie, Simba, Spirit, Misty, Sunny, Gizmo, Sandy and Luna. In 2026, her final two eaglets, Sandy and Luna, successfully fledged and began their lives in the wild.
In July 2026, Jackie was found grounded near Big Bear Lake and unable to fly. She was admitted to the Ojai Raptor Center on July 18 suffering from severe anemia, emaciation, dehydration and a systemic illness. An extensive team of veterinarians and wildlife specialists treated her with a blood transfusion, oxygen, fluids, nutritional support and other intensive therapies. Despite periods of improvement, her condition continued to decline. No single definitive cause of her illness was identified.
After 23 days of care, Jackie died naturally in the early morning of August 10, 2026. She was approximately 14 years old.
Jackie lived entirely as a wild eagle, but the window into her world created an extraordinary bond between wildlife and humanity. She will be remembered for her strength, devotion, resilience and for helping millions of people see the beauty—and the fragility—of life in the natural world.