Recently, bald eagles were reported flying around Staten Island. It may not sound like much, but it’s the first time in over 100 years that the eagles have been seen in the area. It raises hope that New York City may someday be home to bald eagles again.
Bald eagles nearly met their match at the hands of deforestation, hunting, and DDT poisoning. The national symbol of the United States dwindled to only 500 eagle pairs in the lower 48 states by the nation’s 200th birthday. Today, their numbers are ten times higher. In 2007, the bald eagle was de-listed from the government’s Endangered and Threatened Wildlife list.
Even still, the birds aren’t completely out of the woods. DDT is banned in the US now, but other toxins like mercury and lead are fatal to the eagles, even in lower doses...
