Click here for a special offer. Click here for our free newsletter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to begin the process of removing the national symbol from the endangered species list.
Conservation groups herald the move as proof of the Endangered Species Act's success.
The bird's spectacular comeback from near extinction has outstripped the wildest dreams of scientists. An estimated high of 75,000 breeding pairs two centuries ago plummeted to fewer than 500 pairs in the lower 48 states by the early 1960s because of pesticides such as DDT, hunting, and habitat destruction. Stronger environmental laws and intensive breeding programs helped the bird rebound to the nearly 5,800 pairs that soar through the skies today. Officials have a year to review scientific data before deciding to remove the bald eagle officially from the list. They will monitor populations for at least five years to ensure that the bird is out of danger.