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Eagle Flies Off 'Threatened' List

After 40 years, national symbol returns from brink of extinction

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 28, 2007 3:32 PM CDT
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(Newser) – The national bird is no longer threatened with extinction, an achievement the Interior Department celebrated today by letting a bald eagle frolic in the skies above the Jefferson Memorial. Thanks in large part to conservation laws, the number of nesting pairs has grown more than 20-fold since 1963; the bird had been threatened (in less peril than endangered) since 1995.

Habitat destruction, pesticides, and hunters drove the bald eagle to the brink of extinction before the government intervened. Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne presided at today's ceremony, but the star of the airshow was Challenger, a 19-year-old eagle whose handler spoke for him: "Challenger would probably say it's great to be here—where's the trout?"

Members of the Texas Rangers line up on the first base line during introductions as Challenger, a bald eagle, flies down to his keeper on the mound prior to the Rangers home-opener baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Arlington, Texas, Friday, April 6, 2007. The Rangers won 2-0....
Members of the Texas Rangers line up on the first base line during introductions as Challenger, a bald eagle, flies down to his keeper on the mound prior to the Rangers home-opener baseball game against...   (Associated Press)
Bald Eagle Challenger
Bald Eagle Challenger   (Getty Images)
Challenger, a Bald Eagle, is displayed during a wildlife event...
Challenger, a Bald Eagle, is displayed during a wildlife event...   (Getty Images (by Event))
(FILES) Challenger, a bald eagle, is displayed during a wildlife...
(FILES) Challenger, a bald eagle, is displayed during a wildlife...   (Getty Images)
A bald eagle sits in the shade at the Dallas Zoo in Dallas in this July 2, 2005 file photo. The American bald eagle, once nearly extinct, is making a comeback. The government will confirm that when it takes the revered bird off a list of protected species.(AP Photo/LM...
A bald eagle sits in the shade at the Dallas Zoo in Dallas in this July 2, 2005 file photo. The American bald eagle, once nearly extinct, is making a comeback. The government will confirm that when...   (Associated Press)
A bald eagle soars above the Skagit River near Rockport, Wash. in this Jan. 21, 2994 file photo. The American bald eagle, once nearly extinct, is making a comeback. The government will confirm that when it takes the revered bird off a list of protected species. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren,...
A bald eagle soars above the Skagit River near Rockport, Wash. in this Jan. 21, 2994 file photo. The American bald eagle, once nearly extinct, is making a comeback. The government will confirm that when...   (Associated Press)
Lewis, a five-year-old male bald eagle, comes in for a landing near the pitchers mound before the interleague game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Monday, June 18, 2007, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Lewis, a five-year-old male bald eagle, comes in for a landing near the pitchers mound before the interleague game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Monday, June 18, 2007, in...   (Associated Press)
Walt Crawford, executive director of the World Bird Santuary, talks with Liberty, a 12-year-old female bald eagle before the interleague game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Monday, June 18, 2007, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Walt Crawford, executive director of the World Bird Santuary, talks with Liberty, a 12-year-old female bald eagle before the interleague game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals...   (Associated Press)
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Watch the birdie

Fish and Wildlife Service video
US Fish and Wildlife Service

Related links

More on the population crisis and the comeback
CNN

The view from Florida, where 20% of the country's nesting pairs live
New York Times

 
endangered species • environment • conservation • list • Department of the Interior • eagle • hunting • animal • pesticide

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