[1] Eagle was born Audrey Lily Brodey[2] on 30 October 1925 in Timaru, New Zealand, to English parents.

[3][6] From 1949 to 1954, Audrey Eagle worked at the State Hydro Electricity Department in Hamilton in the drafting office.

[5] The voucher specimens and Eagle's personal botanical collection are contained in the Otago Regional Herbarium (OTA).

[15][3] In 1985, Eagle won the Loder Cup[16] and in the same year became a Distinguished Life Member of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society.

[3] Eagle was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to botanical art.

[17] In 2007, the 2006 two-volume edition of Eagle's Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand earned her the Montana Medal for Non-Fiction and the Booksellers Choice award.