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It Began with One

Indiana's residential eagle may be flightless, but that hasn't stopped him from helping others soar. C-52, a rescued bald eagle, is considered a  symbol of Indiana's successful bald eagle reintroduction program.

For More Information

Indiana DNR - Bald Eagle information

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Division of Migratory Bird Management - Bald Eagle

Cornell's All About Birds - Bald Eagles

As recently as twenty years ago the Bald Eagle was dangerously close to becoming extinct throughout the lower 48 states - Indiana included. Today, they're back from the brink and doing better than ever.

Return of the Bald Eagles

In 1782, the Bald Eagle was named our national symbol as it represented strength, courage and freedom. Today it can easily be considered a symbol of survival. In June 2007, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services removed the bald eagle from the endangered species list more than sixty years after it was first protected by federal law.

Habitat loss, over-hunting and the now banned pesticide DDT were largely to blame for the eagles rapidly declining numbers between 1870 and 1970. In Indiana, bald eagles were expatriated by 1900 due to the loss of wetland habitats. As breeding pairs continued to decrease in size throughout the country, it was apparent that something had to be done.

Indiana’s efforts to restore the bald eagle began in 1985. Seventy three young bald eagles were reintroduced at Lake Monroe in the span of four years. These eagles formed a core population in south-central Indiana that has grown significantly since then. The first successful bald eagle nest in Indiana was documented in 1991. By 2004, the federal recovery goal for Indiana for five nesting pairs was achieved. Today, one hundred pairs have been documented. This robust trend upward gave us good reason to remove the bald eagle from the state’s endangered species list in 2007 which was encouraged by its removal from the federal endangered species list a year prior.

Though the bald eagle will remain a species of special concern - meaning monitoring and management will continue, though at a lesser degree - the removal of the iconic bird from our endangered species list is a great victory for all Hoosiers. A big thanks is in order for the hard work DNR and its partners did to have the bald eagle back nesting and raising its young along Indiana lakes, rivers and waterways once again.

Interesting Facts about the Great Bald Eagle

• Bald eagles were named not because it was bald, but for their distinctive pure white head, neck and tail. In fact, its scientific name - Haliaeetus leucocephalus - is Latin for "white headed sea eagle."
• These birds are big - averaging between 27 to 35 inches tall with a 71-90- inch wingspan; females are slightly larger than their male counterparts.
• Bald eagles tend to nest near lakes, rivers and other waterways on the tops of tall trees. The same nests are used every year with moss and twigs added when necessary. Nests are known to be quite large, some weighing almost 4,000 pounds.
• Before the recovery program began in 1985, these majestic birds had not nested in Indiana since 1897.
• The life expectancy of wild eagles is around 30 years, but those held in captivity have lived up to 50 years.
• The bald eagles' eyesight is quite impressive; they have eight times more resolving power than humans and can locate prey up to two miles away.
• Though their keen eyesight is key to finding prey, it is their razor sharp, hook-like talons that capture and kill their meal.
• In normal flight, eagles fly anywhere between 20 - 60 miles per hour. When diving for prey, they can obtain speeds up to 100 miles per hour.
• Bald eagles are unique to North America. All U.S. states except Hawaii are home to these great birds and Alaska is the only one that has never had them listed as endangered or threatened.