Bald Eagles

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was proclaimed the national symbol of the United States by Congress in 1782. Found near open water from Mexico to Alaska, bald eagles may range over great distances but typically return to nest in the vicinity where they fledged. In Greater Yellowstone they feed primarily on fish, but also on waterfowl and carrion. Numbers declined dramatically during most of the 20th century due to habitat loss, illegal shooting, and pesticide contamination and, in 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) listed the bald eagle as an endangered species in 43 states, including Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Habitat protection, management actions, and a reduction in levels of pesticides such as DDT in the environment increased bald eagle numbers throughout the lower 48 states, allowing a 1995 status upgrade to threatened. The USFWS removed the bald eagle from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife on August 8, 2007. Bald eagles nesting in northwestern Wyoming are part of a significant breeding population in the Rocky Mountain West that extends into Idaho and Montana.

 
Updated 4/30/08