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| Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
More than 400
species of birds, including bald eagles, can be found in North Carolina. This
has not always been true. In the 1960s, the number of bald eagles found in the
United States plummeted from over 300,000 birds to less than 500 nesting
pairs. This decline was caused by
habitat destruction, use of pesticides, contamination of food and waterways and
the active hunting of bald eagles.
With the
help of federal protection and conservation efforts, the bald eagle population
has made a strong recovery. In 1982, bald eagles were once again spotted in
North Carolina. In 2007, the number of
nesting pairs in the country surpassed 10,000.
This enabled the species to be removed from the endangered species
list. In an effort, however, to keep
population numbers stable, bald eagles remain protected by law.
While larger
populations of the birds can be found further north, more than 125 nesting
pairs of eagles live in North Carolina as of 2013. Bald eagles like to stay in
close proximity to bodies of water. Next time you’re near a lake or river be
sure to keep an eye to the sky!
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| A rescued, juvenile bald eagle at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. |
For more
information on eagles and other raptor species, check out the Carolina Raptor
Center website: carolinaraptorcenter.org
To keep up
with local bald eagles, check out the Jordan Lake eagle cam: www.ustream.tv/jordanlakeeagles and visit Maverick, a flightless, juvenile bald eagle at the NC Aquarium at Fort
Fisher. Read about Maverick here.
