Bald Eagle Timeline: Road To Recovery

As the use of DDT was being reduced, captive breeding programs, in which animals are bred in facilities such as zoos, helped to add to wild populations by releasing healthy eagle chicks. By 1995, thanks to the combination of policy changes and breeding/release programs, the population of bald eagles in the United States recovered so thoroughly that they were removed from the endangered species list!

1995: The Bald Eagle’s Recovery

“From 1973 to 1995, the eagle’s protected status provided a springboard for the eagle’s accelerated recovery through captive breeding programs, reintroduction efforts, law enforcement and the protection of nest sites during the breeding season. In 1995, the bald eagle’s status was reduced from endangered to threatened. An estimated 4,712 nesting pairs occupied the Lower 48.”

“The Bald Eagle in America - National Wildlife Federation.” The Bald Eagle in America - National Wildlife Federation. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Following the change in the bald eagles' status in 1995, eagle populations continued to increase in size. By 2007, the birds were no longer considered threatened. Currently, there are more than 10,000 nesting pairs of eagles in the lower 48 states. Researchers estimate the total eagle population to be more than 100,000 birds, marking the population level at approximately what it was in the 1600s. However, eagles still face threats, such as deforestation and ingesting lead bullets in dead game birds left by hunters.