Baby eagle first in nation's capital since 1940s

A bald eagle mother and eaglet. Eagles don't develop white head feathers until sexual maturity

August 10, 2000
Web posted at: 11:46 AM EDT (1546 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bald eagle has hatched in Washington, the first time in a half-century that the national symbol is known to have nested in the nation's capital.

After receiving a tip from a resident who spotted a pair of eagles flying around with branches and twigs in their beaks, federal wildlife officials spotted them building the nest in January on National Park Service land, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

In March, the female eagle was sitting on the nest, and in April a chick hatched. It has been flying on its own since late June. Now, the eaglet and its parents still spend time near the nest, but not in it.

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Wildlife officials are thrilled because eagles have a reputation for being fussy about where they live. Until recently, scientists had thought eagles would not nest in developed areas.

The eaglet, which will not develop the species' distinctive white head feathers for several years, is the first bald eagle known to be hatched in the city since the late 1940s, according to the National Park Service. After that, loss of habitat and widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which weakened eagle eggs so that they were crushed in the nest, caused the population in the lower 48 states to plummet.

The bird's numbers began rising after DDT was banned in 1972, and the Clinton administration is close to removing the bald eagle from the endangered species list.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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National Park Service

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