The Bald Eagle has long been an iconic symbol of the United States, and it officially became the country’s national bird in December. These majestic eagles stand stoically, gaze intently, and make an almost eerie vocalization (listen to a Haikubox recording). Their numbers have rebounded since the 1970s when the pesticide DDT was banned, but new research suggests they remain vulnerable to other threats.
A recent study revealed that nearly half of Bald Eagles showed signs of chronic lead poisoning after ingesting spent ammunition fragments in their scavenged food leading to slowed annual population growth. Another research team found that lead exposure reduced the birds’ resiliency, making them vulnerable to other threats such as avian flu.
To better understand Bald Eagle behavior and whether humans are impacting the birds in other ways, a Florida-based project is outfitting rehabilitated Bald Eagles with GPS backpacks, allowing them to be tracked in real time and across great distances. The team hopes to use this telemetry data to study the birds' local and migratory movements, habitat use, and nesting choices.