The population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states has quadrupled since 2009, the researchers said this week, underscoring decades of efforts to protect a species that was on the verge of extinction.
There were about 316,700 bald eagles in the lower 48 states during the 2019 breeding season, including more than 71,400 breeding pairs, according to a report released on Wednesday by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2009, the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states was estimated to be just over 72,000, including about 30,000 breeding pairs.
Deb Haaland, the secretary of the interior, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the results were “truly a historic conservation success story”.
“The bald eagle has always been considered a sacred species for American Indians,” said Haaland, the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency. “Likewise, it is sacred to our nation as America’s national symbol.”
Martha Williams, deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement that her organization would continue to work with state and federal agencies, tribes, private landowners and others to ensure that the bald eagle population continues to increase.
Bryan Watts, professor of biology and director of the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary, said on Thursday that the report reflected what he had seen in the Chesapeake Bay region, where the bald eagle population was growing by about 8 to 10 percent per year.
“When you look at the continent, the continental population is really a mosaic of smaller subpopulations,” said Professor Watts. “And these populations started their growth phases at different times and, in the end, they will reach saturation at different times.”
The researchers were able to include younger eagles and floaters – mature eagles that failed to guarantee breeding grounds – in the population estimate released on Wednesday, which they said they had failed to do as effectively in previous studies.
The numbers are particularly noteworthy, as the species was almost driven to extinction in the past century.
In 1917, bald eagles were considered a threat in Alaska. The government sponsored a reward of 50 cents per bird, and later a dollar, resulting in more than 120,000 confirmed deaths. In the mid-20th century, all but a few hundred Bald Eagles were considered dead, largely killed by the widespread use of the synthetic insecticide DDT. The bald eagle population reached its lowest point of 417 nesting pairs known in 1963, the researchers said.
But through protection and conservation efforts, and the ban on DDT in 1972, the population has been able to recover over the years. The bald eagle was removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in 2007.
Although many have welcomed the increase in number, bald eagles in recent years have become a nuisance for poultry farmers who wish to create a complete and healthy stock, leading many to apply for an eagle depredation license from the Fisheries and Wildlife Service .
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“I really think the population has reached a period when we are going beyond conservation restrictions,” said Professor Watts, adding that eagle populations in areas like Florida, the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest have been “furious” since the years 1970 and 1980.
Professor Watts said there have been cases of eagles making nests like backyard birds in many residential areas. “That was not the case in the 1970s and 1980s,” he said. “In fact, we could never have predicted that they would do that.”
He does not see society returning to a period when bald eagle hunting would be allowed, he said, adding that bald eagles are the national symbol of the United States. “I think they should be revered, respected and protected,” he said.
Asked whether the report offers hope for other endangered species, Professor Watts said it is an indicator of what can be accomplished when a crop collectively decides to value something.
“I hope we can go back to the time when we recognized the environment as an important support structure for our society,” he said, “and we respect some of the species that are currently in decline.”
Catrin Einhorn contributed reports.