June 20 is designated as American Eagle Day, a day to celebrate the bald eagle, America’s national bird. I grew up during the time when the bald eagle’s existence was feared doomed. Lots has changed over the years, proving us humans can make a difference when we put our minds to it.
Some Bald Eagle History
• On June 20, 1782, the Second Continental Congress decided to put the bald eagle’s image on The Great Seal.
• Not all Americans viewed the bald eagle as a noble national symbol –many early settlers viewed the great hunter and fisher as a threat to their way of life and survival and thus ruthlessly killed it.
• It is estimated bald eagle numbers ranged from 250,000 to 500,000 preceding the arrival of European settlers.
• By the 1940s the birds were rapidly nearing extinction, prompting Congress to pass the Bald Eagle Protection Act which outlawed killing and/or disturbing them.
• DDT was almost the final nail in the bald eagle’s coffin: by 1963 a nesting survey found only 417 pairs in the 48 states.
• From the mid-1970s on, wildlife agencies, conservation groups, and better enforcement of the Endangered Species Act helped bring back bald eagle populations enough to upgrade their status from an endangered species to threatened.
• Today, there are an estimated 100,000 bald eagles. Robert Winkler, a nature writer, calls their “comeback one of the great conservation stories.”
Bald Eagle Physical Characteristics
MALES
• Body length: 30 to 34 inches, or two and a half to almost three feet.
• Wingspan: 72 to 85 inches, or six to seven feet long. (That’s taller than most people!)
FEMALES
• Body length: 35- to 37 inches, or almost three feet to just over. (Yes, the females are larger than the males!)
• Wingspan: 79 to 90 inches, or six and a half to seven and a half feet long. (Holy crow, that’s long!)
Select Bald Eagle Sites
American Bald Eagle Information
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