Back From the Brink: America's Bald Eagle Soars From 500 Pairs to 14,000
Once down to fewer than 500 breeding pairs, the national bird has rebounded to roughly 14,000.
Not so long ago, the bald eagle was nearly lost — down to fewer than 500 breeding pairs, battered by habitat loss, hunting and the pesticide DDT. It became one of the first creatures protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The protections, and the banning of DDT, worked spectacularly: the bald eagle has rebounded to around 14,000 breeding pairs, a national symbol pulled back from the edge and now a common sight in skies across the country.