CHAPTER ONE HISTORY OF THE BALD EAGLE 5 In the gray mist an eagle perches on top of a tall tree His bright white head and tail feathers stand out from the bare winter branches The icy waters below are filled with salmon Using his sharp eyes the eagle watches as fish push their bodies upstream Eager for breakfast the eagle glides from the tree He circles the river using his tail to steer Spying a salmon stuck on a moss covered rock Chemicals and hunting once threatened the bald eagle population with extinction
the eagle swoops down His knifelike claws called talons snatch at the fish But the fish is too heavy for the eagle to carry away The eagle drops it at a slippery log nearby In the distance the eagle hears the cries of its chicks Quickly he rips off a small piece of the salmon and flies back to feed his young As the fog lifts sunlight pours into the valley The wind begins to rise The eagle’s mate leaves the nest to soar on currents of air over the land Her shadow falls on the mountains Their caps sparkle under the 6 National Symbol In 1776 the United States was a new nation The US Congress wanted a seal design it could use on important papers The design would represent the country’s new government Over the next six years there were many different ideas In 1782 the bald eagle became the national bird of the United States That year Congress also agreed to the design for the nation’s seal that is still used today The seal shows a bald eagle with its wings stretched wide On its breast is the American flag An olive branch in one claw represents peace Arrows in the other claw represent war
new snow By midmorning eagles are everywhere They fill the air Most are eager to feed on the salmon They cry and shriek as they fight over the fish When they leave every bone will be picked clean The bald eagle is found almost entirely in North America Many native people saw the eagle as a symbol of peace and strength They admired its hunting skills Tribes such as the Sioux used eagle feathers as part of their religion The Tlingit of Alaska used its image on totem poles In 1782 when Americans needed a symbol for their new nation they chose the bald eagle It stood for freedom and liberty At this time there may have been as many as half a million eagles They lived in almost every state Eagles at Risk Not everyone felt the eagle was a special bird Many early settlers believed it ate their livestock They began killing eagles in large numbers Over the next 200 years the eagle faced more threats from humans Humans shot and trapped eagles and 7
