Every Day Is Special: June 20 - American Eagle Day

June 20 - American Eagle Day

Posted on June 20, 2019

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. Would it surprise you to know that it was officially adopted way back on this date in 1782? That was before the U.S. Constitution was written (in 1787), let alone ratified (in 1788). That was even before the Revolutionary War was officially over (in 1783, when a peace treaty with Britain was signed)!

The bald eagle was chosen because it lives quite a long time (for a bird - about 20 years), because it is quite large (for a bird - with a wingspan of 6 to 7 and a half feet), and because it is majestic looking.

It was also chosen because it was then believed to live only in North America. We now know that it's range pretty much IS North America, but there have been a few vagrant bald eagles spotted in Ireland and in the very easternmost part of Russia - the part that is near the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

Some people point out that a large predatory bird like a sea eagle (the bald eagle is classified as a sea eagle, even though many bald eagles live far from the sea) has a lifestyle that represents freedom. Eagles spend some time soaring high above land or water, and even the hunting style - swooping down to snatch a fish out of water - looks ruggedly independent and free-moving.

However, like all other living things (including humans), bald eagles are actually dependent on other living things and non-living environmental factors. They were once highly endangered, partly because of the pesticide DDT. The pesticide was not lethal to adult eagles, but it messed with their systems and made some eagles sterile (unable to have offspring) and made many females unable to lay healthy eggs. The egg shells became so thin that they broke when the adult sat on them to keep them warm. Way fewer baby eaglets meant way fewer adult eagles, and at one point in the 1950s, there were only around 450 nesting pairs!

It wasn't just DDT that was killing off bald eagles. People often shot them because rumor said that they carried off baby lambs and even baby humans. It turns out that eagles snatching up lambs was HIGHLY unusual and eagles snatching up human babies NEVER happened. People shot 70,000 bald eagles in Alaska alone (over a period of 12 years), based on untrue rumors!

Other dangers for eagles included power lines, lead tackle that human fishers use (lead poisoning is very dangerous, and eagles eating fish that have swallowed lead tackle are slowly poisoned), by oil and mercury pollution, and probably loss of habitat.

I'm sure you know that the bald eagle isn't actually bad, but has white head feathers.

Thanks to bald eagles having protective status and the ban on DDT, they were taken off the endangered list in 2007. Scientists estimate that there are about 15,000 nesting pairs now. We still have to keep them protected with laws and environmental awareness - but for now the species seems to be out of danger.