The Return of the Bald Eagle
Here at OodlesOnBaldEagles.com we have collected as many bald eagle facts as possible and compiled it for you here on this website. We also try to find bald eagle shopping items that would interest any eagle enthusiast.
The Bald Eagle's Not Endagered Anymore
After fears that the national symbol of the United States, the bald eagle, would soon be extinct, the bird is now well on its way to recovery. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act was passed in 1940 to keep the bird from being hunted after the bald eagle was found to be endangered. Another danger to the bird was the spread of DDT, which continued to kill eagles even after the hunters stopped. When the number reached just 417 breeding pairs in 1963, action was called for and in 1973 the species was put on the newly created endangered species list.Instead of extinction, the bald eagle has dramatically reversed its declining numbers. The bald eagle is no longer listed as an endangered species thanks to the nearly 10,000 pairs that roam the American skies. But, experts will not leave the bald eagle vulnerable to decline again. For at least the next five years experts will be tracking number numbers of breeding pairs. 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 off the endangered species list, there are other protections in place, such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. In addition, the eagles also benefit from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act enacted in 1918. This act made hunting the bald eagle, as well as other migratory birds, illegal in the United States and in certain other countries. Buying and selling the eggs, feathers or nests of bald eagles are all made illegal under the act, keeping the birds safe from those who would hunt them for profit in Canada and Mexico as well as the U.S.
Since DDT was banned in 1972, bald eagles have enjoyed further protection from decline. DDT traveled up the food chain to the bald eagle, and other animals, causing a steep decline in the number of breeding pairs. This pesticide spread from fields to waterways and then to eagles. Bald eagles ate fish caught from the contaminated waters. The affected eagles were unable to produce eggshells that were hard enough to keep from cracking before the incubation period was over. The reproduction of the species was severely hampered when eagles accidentally cracked their eggs while caring for them. Today the threat of DDT is largely over and bald eagles can catch fish, roam the skies and keep increasing their numbers.
Bald Eagle Facts
-When competing for food, eagles will usually dominate other fish-eaters and scavengers, aggressively displacing mammals such as coyotes and foxes, and birds such as corvids, gulls, vultures and other raptors.
-Forests used for nesting should have a canopy cover of less than 60 percent, and as low as 20 percent, and be in close proximity to water.
- When they are old enough to breed, they often return to the area where they were born.
Don't forget that this article can covers information related to bald eagle but can still leave some stones unturned. Head on over to the search engines like Ask.com for more specific information on this topic and other topics like "the environment of a bald eagle", "breeding of the bald eagle", and "bald eagle attacks".
Interesting eagle decor products:
Bald Eagle Feeding Time- Statue
Patriotic Eagle Statue
-
American Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins for Sale January 15 - Coin
Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins go on sale 12:00 p.m. (ET) on January 15, 2008. The U.S. Mint made the announcement through a press release and printed brochure that arrived
