Back from the Brink

Back from the Brink. Bald Eagles: A Conservation Success Story. , Midway through the 20th century, bald eagles were on the brink of extinction in the lower United States. Today, they are seen throughout the country. Their recovery is a conservation triumph., Bald eagles were nearly wiped out by hunting, habitat loss, and pesticide poisoning. Revered as the symbol of a nation, they were also reviled as avian looters of chickens and lambs. They were shot and trapped to near extinction and then catastrophically poisoned by pesticide runoff that contaminated the fish they ate., Two major developments in the United States saved the species: protection under the Endangered Species Act and banning of toxic DDT., In 1976, bald eagles received protection under the newly passed Endangered Species Act. This triggered decades of dedicated conservation work while also reshaping public perception. Just as significantly, bald eagles benefited from the ban on DDT, a pesticide whose adverse environmental effects trickled up the food chain to top predators., Bald eagles had made such a comeback by 2007 that they were removed from the Endangered Species List., Bald eagles still face significant threats, but their population within the U.S. continues to grow. They are still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty, the Lacey Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the killing or taking of a bald or golden eagle or any of its parts, including feathers, nests, and eggs., The Fall and Rise of Bald Eagles in the United States

1782: Bald eagle declared national symbol of the United States, estimated 100,000 breeding pairs. , 1963: bald eagles nearly extinct, with only 417 breeding pairs counted. , 1972: banning of DDT. , 1973: passage of Endangered Species Act (ESA). , 1976: bald eagles granted protection under ESA. , 2007: bald eagles removed from Endangered Species List, with 9,789 breeding pairs counted. , 2019: 71,467 breeding pairs counted.

, These population statistics pertain only to bald eagles in the contiguous United States. They exclude Alaska, where the bald eagle population has always been robust, and Hawaii, where bald eagles do not occur.