The Return of the Bald Eagle

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by: rorlancia@gmail.com
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Most experts expected the bald eagle to become extinct during the 20th century, but this American symbol has since reversed its decline and begun to recover. 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. 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. 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. Wildlife experts, however, will not be abandoning the bald eagle. Over the next five years or so, the number of bald eagles will be closely monitored. The monitoring assures that if the number of bald eagles falls again that there will be a quick response to place the birds back on the list of endangered species.

There are legal protections for the bald eagle even without the endangered species list, such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The eagles also have the protection of the1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This treaty ensured that not only were migratory birds protected in the United States, but from hunting and trade in several other countries as well. The act keeps the migrating birds safe from hunters as they cross into Canada or Mexico, and keeps the trade in their eggs, feathers and even their nests, illegal in all those countries.

Further protecting the number of eagles from decline is the ban on DDT in 1972. DDT was found to be a major factor in the downfall of the bald eagle, as well as many other animal species, as the toxic chemical found its way through the food chain. DDT traveled up the food chain to the bald eagle, and other animals, causing a steep decline in the number of breeding pairs. This chemical eventually made its way from the waterways and into the 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. Bald eagle eggs from contaminated mothers were so thin that the mothers often broke the shells during the incubation period. Now that DDT is largely eradicated from the environment, there is nothing to prevent bald eagles from continuing to thrive.

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For more bald eagle facts, bald eagle statues, and other bald eagle information visit http://www.OodlesOnBaldEagles.com.

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