Females lay a clutch of one to three eggs, but usually two. Bald Eagle nests are among some of the largest nests in the world. The nests are primarily built of sticks and can eventually weigh up to two tons. There is not any sound evidence, however, that supports the idea that eagles mate for life.Ī mated pair adds on to their nest each breeding year. This behavior may account for the strong loyalty between mates. Bald Eagles sometimes even copulate out of season. The process is completed when their cloacae meet. The males's tail goes down and hers goes up. When the female is ready to copulate, she makes a head down, bowing gesture, and the male closes his talons and mounts her. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern Fish and Wildlife Service and by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Federal protection has involved monitoring populations, improving protection, setting up captive breeding programs, relocating wild birds, and establishing a wide-ranging public information program.īald eagles are currently listed as threatened by the U.S. Some states now support effective nest-monitoring and programs to release young birds into the wild. Only in Canada and Alaska, however, are eagles found in abundance.Ī tremendous effort had been made to protect and restore the bald eagle population. Breeding pairs now number close to 3000, and there has been an increase in the number of hatchlings per nest. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, however, the eagles have made a steady recovery. Eagles once numbered around 50,000 in the contiguous United States, but by the time the U.S had restricted the use of DDT in1972, only about 800 bredding pairs remained. DDT in a female's body disturb the shell-making process, causing her to produce very weak shells or no shells at all.
Pesticides are often found in fish, the major food supply for eagles. In particular, the use of pesticides such as DDT had been the greatest threat to the species. As a result of both land and water pollution, a significant amount of the Bald Eagle food supply has been killed. In recent years, however, pollution has greatly contributed to the demise of the species. sheep) and hampered the fishing industry. Eagles were shot not only for their feathers, but also because they posed a "threat" to livestock (e.g. In the early part of the century, hunting eagles was a popular sport. Over the years, the Bald Eagle population has suffered from excessive hunting and pollution.
0 kommentar(er)
