American Bald Eagles - History
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American Bald Eagles
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At the end of the 19th century the population of American Bald eagles began to reduce. As settlers move to the wild, they destroyed the Bald eagles' habitats and hunted these birds. The 20th century brought a new threat for Bald eagles: pesticides and other environmental contaminants, that lead to abnormal breeding behavior, thin eggshells and dead embryos. Lead poisoning was a mortality factor in waterfowl, and eagles died from accumulating toxic levels of lead from contaminated fish. It was a real decimation of eagles; in some areas the decline of population approached 100%. For the remaining pairs nesting failures were 55-96%. In Alaska a bounty was in effect from 1917 to 1945 and from 1949 to 1953. About 100,000 eagles were killed for each.
American Bald Eagles - Status
From 1953, killing of Bald eagles in Alaska is illegal. In 1940 the Bald Eagle Act made the killing of Bald eagles in the lower 48 states prohibited. In the early 1970s, DDT and some other pesticides were banned in the USA; fines were provided for the killing of Bald eagles, which created the framework for future protection. In 1978 the American Bald eagles, that have no natural enemy, were listed as endangered. Only nowadays American Bald eagles made a tremendous comeback and are no longer endangered.
American Bald Eagles - Conservation Links
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TravelManiac's Bald Eagles
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Alaska Department of Natural Resources - The American Bald Eagle - This site features links to state parks in Alaska, including Kachemak Bay State Park and Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, two strongholds of the bald eagle.
America's Freedoms - The history of the American Bald Eagle.
American Bald Eagle Characteristics - Basic information on of conservation problems.
American Bald Eagle Foundation - An educational foundation dedicated to the protection and conservation of Bald Eagle habitat.
American Bald Eagles - Big Picture - A look at the history of bald eagles, their decline, and their ongoing recovery
American Bald Eagle Fun Facts - The article on the national symbol of America.
American Bald Eagle Watch - An invitation to Branson, Missouri for Eagle Watching tours.
American Bald Eagles - Maryland Department of Natural Resources
American Bald Eagles Audio/Video - Clips of eagles soaring through the air and snagging fish from a river.
American Bald Eagles: Q&A - Learn about the importance of bald eagles to Native Americans and how the future looks for this magnificent species.
National Geographic - American Bald Eagles - Historical outlook and the present-day conservation of Bald eagles.
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Picture source:
Webshots com
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National Geographic: Bald Eagles - Multimedia presentation on how an American icon soared back from the brink of extinction.
National Wildlife: American Bald Eagle - profile with facts and conservation information.
Nebraska's Winter Visitors - Contains facts on management and outlook of Bald eagles.
Nesting Eagles - Presents video and photos of Bald eagles and offers to donate.
Raptor Rehabilitation Center - Presents rehabilitation programs for eagles and other raptors.
The American Bald Eagle - U.S. Fish and Wildlife - Chesapeake Bay Field Office.
The Eagle Institute - conservation organization offering educational programs, guided habitat trips, volunteer monitoring, and data collection opportunities.
The Endangered American Bald Eagle - Contains history of American Bald eagle protection.
