Bald eagles are conservation success story in Bitterroot and beyond
image courtesy of Alex Kearney
No matter if you’re sitting in a drift boat, driving a car, out for a jog or simply walking the dog, when Haliaeetus leucocephalus flies by, one cannot help but say, “Look! A Bald Eagle!”
The Bald Eagle, not bald at all, is better described by its scientific name Haliaeetus, Greek for sea eagle and leucocephalus, Greek for white-headed.
There is something about watching this magnificent bird in flight that evokes a sense of wild in all of us. Perhaps we reflect back to the days when this bird was in steep decline and seeing one in the lower 48 states was a real treat. Today, Bald Eagles are a conservation success story and while common in the Bitterroot, it was not that long ago that their numbers were few due to pesticide use and its effects on eagle reproduction.