It was on June 20, 1782, that the U.S. Congress approved the "American eagle" as our national emblem. Congress chose the bald eagle because it occurs only in North America.
Despite its honored and symbolic status, the bald eagle has been severely persecuted through the years; its very survival has been a long and uphill battle. Not until 1940 did it gain full protection from the Bald Eagle Protection Act. Even then, habitat loss contributed to a severe population decline, as did environmental contamination by pesticides and heavy-metal residues.
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