HISTORY OF BALD EAGLES AND DDT
Prepared by James River Association
Today, when you spend time along the James River, you are likely to see a few bald
eagles soaring above the water. Tragically, 50 years ago, that wasn’t the case. In the 1970s,
the bald eagle had all but disappeared from Virginia. The culprit was DDT - a widely used
pesticide that, when ingested, prevented the eagles from reproducing successfully by
weakening their offsprings’ eggshells. The bald eagle population declined and became critically
endangered. At their lowest point, there were zero nesting pairs of bald eagles left along the
James River.
Several interventions from humans -- such as banning DDT and protecting habitat -- helped
restore the bald eagle population to a stable and healthy size. The story of the bald eagles is
one of our greatest success stories. When you see bald eagles flying by the river, you are
seeing the proof that humans can repair damage to the environment if they take strong enough
action.
Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are native to North America, including Virginia.
They can live to be 20-30 years old, and their wingspan can reach up to 8 feet long. Their
preferred habitat is forested regions alongside bodies of water. Most of their diet is fish, but
bald eagles will also hunt small mammals, other birds, reptiles, and they will also sometimes
scavenge. They are also the national symbol of the United States.
Read the following website article and answer the questions below.
https://abcbirds.org/bald-eagle-the-ultimate-endangered-species-act-success-story/
1. What is DDT? Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane, a modern synthetic insecticide.
2. How, specifically, did DDT harm bald eagle populations? DDT harmed bald eagles by
stopping them from reproducing regularly since it weakened their offsprings’ eggshells.
3. At their lowest point in 1963, how many bald eagle nests were left in the lower 48
states? In 1963, 417 bald eagles nests were left in the lower 48 states.
4. What is the Endangered Species Act (ESA)? When was it made into law? The
Endangered Species Act is an act made for endangered species, as it prevents the
hunting and killing of endangered organisms and was made into law in 1973.
5. Name three protections the ESA gave bald eagles: Banning DDT, protected their living
space, and stopped humans from messing with their nests.
6. When were bald eagle populations recovered enough to be delisted from the ESA? The
ESA delisted in 1999.
7. What are 2 threats bald eagles still face today? 2 threats the bald eagles still face today
are Illegal Shooting and Lead Poisoning.
In the article, Hesiman defines the “take” of a protected species is defined as “killing, capturing,
or otherwise harming” them. She also poses a question: “how much take is too much?”
1. What do you think? How much should we limit human behavior to protect an
endangered species? What is the right thing to do ethically? Environmentally?
Legally? Why?
2. What counterargument might someone with an opposing viewpoint make, and how
would you attempt to persuade them?
Biomagnification
Watch these short YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=85I7oPWUuak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZk6vcmLcKw
In your own words, define biomagnification:
Create your own food pyramid with the following organisms (Phytoplankton, Small Fish, Larger
Fish, Bald Eagles)
Tertiary consumer
Secondary consumer
Primary consumer
Producer
Now, imagine a toxin (Similar to DDT) has been used on farms. It rains hard and washes all
the toxin to the local pond. Assuming the concentration inside your producers is 1 unit per
organism, and each organism eats 10 of the lower level’s organisms per day, what will the
concentration be at each trophic level?
Producer = 1 unit per organism
Primary consumer =
Secondary consumer =
Tertiary consumer =
1. Explain how DDT effected the Bald Eagles even though they didn’t directly inhale the
fumes. Use biomagnification in your explanation.
