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THE BALD EAGLE 
By Michael Janis 
On September 20, 1782 
the young Congress of 
the United States chose 
a national symbol: the 
mighty Bald Eagle. To- 
day the Bald Eagle is 
seen on the National 
Seal, but rarely any- 
where else. Almost two 
hundred years after the 
eagle was selected to be 
the symbol of this nation, 
the bird is in serious 
trouble. Of the estimated 
million eagles that were 
once “spread from coast 
to coast,” there are about 
3,600 left. The Bald Eagle 
is found only in North 
America; once ours are 
fone. they will be ex- 
tinet 
The Bald Eagle is 
about 30 inches long and 
has a wing span of 6 to 
<i te, 7% feet. It has a white 
head and tail when it has 
reached adulthood after about four years. The eagle is not “bald” as thought 
by some people. When the English settlers named the eagle, the word 
“bald” ment “white-headed.” The immature Bald Eagle has a dusky head 
and tail. It usually shows some white in the wing linings and breasts. 
The eagle has a surprisingly weak voice for a bird of its size and power — 
only a harsh, creaking crackle. 
The nest of the Bald Eagle is a small truckload of sticks and twigs 
placed in one of the tallest trees it can find. The aerie is sometimes known 
to have such odd articles as broomsticks, fishing plugs, tablecloths, and 
light bulbs. A pair of captive eagles at the National Zoological Park in 
Washington, D. C., once made a nest largely out of torn popcorn boxes 
and peanut bags. One nest near Vermilion, Ohio, contained two tons of 
material when a storm felled the tree that had held it for thirty-five 
years. 13 
Why have Bald Eagles declined from about a million to only 3,600? 
For the answer to this question, let us review some of the banding results 
of Mr. Charles L. Broley, known to birders everywhere as “the eagle man.” 
In 1939 Broley went to Florida to band the nestlings of the Bald Eagle. 
Until his death in 1963, he banded more than 1,200 eagles. In 1939 Broley 
found 125 active nests. By 1946 Broley was banding about 150 eagles a 
year. Then came the first notable drop in the number of eagles. In 1947 
Broley found that 41% of all aeries in his area of Florida were vacant. 
From that time the number of nestlings declined steadily. In 1948, about 
60% of the nests failed to produce young; in 1949 77%, and in 1951, 78%. 
In that year Broley banded only 24 young eagles. In 1952 there were only 
