Nature Conservancy Magazine: Winter 2007 - Flora & Fauna: Bald Eagle

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Animal Profiles
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald Eagle

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Once a powerful symbol of freedom, the bald eagle became an icon of endangered species. But with a little help and an 8-foot wingspan, it’s now soaring back to health.

Despite Benjamin Franklin’s protests that it is a “bird of bad moral character,” the bald eagle became the national symbol of the United States in 1782, beating out the wild turkey for the honor. But by the 1960s, hunting and the widespread use of the pesticide DDT had caused the bald eagle population to nose-dive. With fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the continental United States, the species was almost extinct in the Lower 48—a far cry from the bold bird depicted on the country’s official seal.

Today, however, the bald eagle is well on its way back from the brink. In June 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed it from the federal list of threatened species. The Nature Conservancy has been proud to play a role in restoring the bird to its former glory. In 2005, for instance, biologists reintroduced seven 8-week-old bald eagle chicks to Santa Cruz to begin repopulating California’s Channel Islands (see Nature Conservancy, winter 2006, “Restoration Takes Flight”). And from Robinson Neck, Maryland, to Sandy Island, Missouri, to Skagit River, Washington, Conservancy preserves provide ideal habitat for these regal raptors as they reclaim their native range.

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