The Rise and Fall of the Bald Eagle
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The Recovery of the Bald Eagle
Many Americans feared the extinction of their national symbol, but the bald eagle has been slowing growing in numbers and largely recovered from its earlier decline. In 1940 the bald eagle was declared to be endangered, and to protect it from hunters the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection act was passed. After the eagle no longer had to worry about hunting, the numbers continued to decline due to the pesticide DDT. The number of breeding pairs in the U.S. dipped to a low of 417 in 1963, leading to inclusion in 1973 on the endangered species list.Instead of the expected extinction of the species, the bald eagle has executed a miraculous rise in the number of breeding pairs. Today nearly 10,000 pairs of bald eagles roam the U.S., which is enough to get the species removed from the protection of the endangered species list. The birds will not be abandoned by wildlife experts, however. The bald eagle's numbers will be monitored for a few years to make sure they do not begin to decline again. 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.
There are legal protections for the bald eagle even without the endangered species list, such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 has offers still more protection to the bald eagle. Migratory birds could not be hunted or traded in the U.S. because of the act, but that protection also extended into 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.
The 1972 ban on the use of DDT has also done much to protect bald eagles. DDT traveled up the food chain to the bald eagle, and other animals, causing a steep decline in the number of breeding pairs. The food chain was contaminated with DDT, causing a massive decline in the number of eagle breeding pairs. The pesticide washed from the fields to the waterways and eventually into bald eagles. Eagles then caught the contaminated fish living in these waters. The affected eagles were unable to produce eggshells that were hard enough to keep from cracking before the incubation period was over. 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. Today, with DDT largely gone from natural bodies of water, bald eagles have every chance to reproduce and grow in numbers.
Bald Eagle Facts
-The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 27 to 40 inches.
-To hunt fish, easily their most important live prey, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons.
- It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons.
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