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The Recovery of the Bald Eagle

After many years believing that the bald eagle wasn't far from extinction, this iconic American symbol has made a historic comeback. The bald eagle was found to be endangered in 1940 and a law was passed, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, to protect it from hunting. Once the threat from hunting was gone, the species found its numbers declining further by the ingestion of DDT. The bald eagle was included on the endangered species list in 1973, and the species hit a low point in 1963 with only 417 breeding pairs.

Far from the expected extinction of the treasured national symbol, the bald eagle has since made a dramatic recovery. The more than 9,000 breeding pairs that exist today have made experts drop the species from the list of endangered species. But, the species will not be left entirely alone by the experts. Bald eagles will be tracked and their numbers monitored for the next five years. If the monitoring shows a decline in the number of breeding pairs, experts can then move to get the bird back onto the endangered species list.

Even without being reclassified as endangered, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is still there to keep the animal from being hunted. The eagles also have the protection of the1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This act made hunting the bald eagle, as well as other migratory birds, illegal in the United States and in certain other countries. For eagles that make their way into Canada or Mexico, the treaty is in effect in those countries to stop the trade of eagle feathers, eggs and other parts that could make the hunting of eagles lucrative.

Bald eagles have been further protected by the 1972 federal ban on DDT. The toxic chemical penetrated the entire food chain, resulting in the deaths of eagles as well as many other bird species. The pesticide washed from the fields to the waterways and eventually into bald eagles. When the eagles caught fish from these lakes and streams, the fish had already been contaminated. DDT kept bald eagles from being able to create eggshells with enough calcium to keep them strong enough to support the embryos. The havoc wreaked by DDT made it difficult for the species to reproduce as mother eagles cracked their own thin eggs in an attempt to incubate them. With DDT now gone, the number of bald eagles can continue to grow.



Bald Eagle Facts
-It can be a migratory bird but it also is not unheard of for a nesting pair to overwinter in its breeding area.

-The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier, and soars on thermal convection currents.

- It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.


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Bald Eagle Statues and other decor items:
Dramatic Bald Eagle Table
Patriotic Bald Eagle Windchime

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Bald Eagle: Natural History Notebooks online from the Canadian Museum
Notes and images of Bald Eagles, updated from the Canadian Museum of Nature's Natural History Notebooks series.

Bald Eagle - WDNR
Legal status in U.S.: Protected; Legal status in WI: Delisted; 2006 numbers in WI: 1,150 nesting pairs; Length: female 34-43 inches male 30-35 inches

Bald Eagle Harley-Davidson
Authorized Harley-Davidson dealer. Features inventory listing, financing, specials, industry news, links, and contact information.

Bald Eagle - EnchantedLearning.com
The bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a magnificent bird of prey. It is not really bald, it just has white feathers on its head.

The Bald Eagle, Symbol of our Nation
The American Bald Eagle gained immediate, unofficial recognition as our National bird when the Great Seal of the United States was adopted on June 20, 1782.

Tags: wildlife, nature, birds, science, eagles

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