Portal:Birds/Selected species/2007-34

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America, most recognizable as the national bird and one of the primary symbols of the United States.

The species was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States (i.e., while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada) late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and has been officially removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species. The bald eagle was officially reclassified from "endangered" to "threatened" on July 12, 1995 by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. On July 6, 1999, a proposal was initiated "To Remove the Bald Eagle in the Lower 48 States From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife."