The bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, is known for its sweeping eight-foot wingspan and fierce gaze. But not so long ago, these majestic birds were in trouble.
A chemical called DDT was introduced in the 1940s. It was sprayed on farms, over forests, and even inside buildings to kill pests, but it also had harmful effects for people and animals. DDT was found to weaken the shells of eagle eggs. Because of this, fewer eaglets hatched. In 1967, the bald eagle was listed as an endangered species.
DDT was made illegal in 1972. But by then, the eagle population was already very low. There were fewer than 600 eagles in the lower 48 states. Now there are signs of hope.
PERCH IT This eagle lives in a New Jersey zoo. In January, the state took eagles off of its endangered list.
SETH WENIG—AP PHOTO
Rescue Mission
Many people worked hard to help the eagle population. Conservationists brought in healthy eagles from other places, such as Canada, and helped their eggs hatch safely. Over time, the bald eagle population grew.
The birds were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007. This January, New Jersey became the latest state to delist the eagle as endangered. It’s an amazing comeback. In the 1980s, there was just one nesting pair of eagles in the entire state. Today, there are roughly 300.
HAPPY FAMILY A bald eagle nests with its two babies, called eaglets. Females usually lay one to three eggs a year.
MARK NEWMAN—GETTY IMAGES
Staying Alive
Bald eagles still face dangers. They get hit by cars and become tangled in fishing line. They can also get sick from bird flu, an illness affecting animals all over the country.
Kathy Benner, the executive director of the American Bald Eagle Foundation, told TIME for Kids that bald eagles are “very important to the ecosystem.” For one thing, they’re predators, so they help keep pests like mice in check.
Wildlife biologist Matthew Palumbo agrees. He encourages people to pick up litter to help maintain “clean water, clean air, and clean soil.” And, if you see an eagle in the wild, be sure to watch it from far away. “One way to help protect them is to give them plenty of space,” Palumbo says.
More from Science
Share a Link
- Click the icon above to copy the url link to your clipboard.
- Paste the link into the location in which you share assignments with students. Examples might include, but are not limited to Canvas, Schoology and Edmodo.
Google Classroom
- Click on the icon above to share the article with a class in your Google Classroom.
- Choose an action. Options might include creating an assignment or asking a question.
