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Bald Eagles on the Rise

Bald eagles are not longer an endangered species.

It's true that until recently bald eagles were in pretty bad shape thanks to hunting, chemicals that disrupted the eagles' reproductive cycle, and loss of habitat. By the 1960s there were only around 450 nesting pairs in the US.

However, federal programs have helped bald eagles make a comeback. Many states have their own programs to encourage bald eagle breeding and help boost the population. For example, when a bald eagle mating pair lays eggs they'll be taken away and incubated artificially. Robbed of its eggs, the pair will lay another batch. Meanwhile, the stolen eggs are incubated, and when they hatch the baby eagles are placed into the nest of a babyless eagle couple. The programs have worked. Today there are around 4,500 bald eagle nesting pairs in the United States, and probably many more young eagles getting ready to fly.

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