When the fledgling United States government chose the American bald eagle as the national symbol in 1782, an estimated 50,000 of the birds lived in North America. By the late 1960s, the bald eagle population had tumbled to 1,500 individuals. Use of pesticides, hunting and destruction of habitats had brought the symbol of American national pride to the brink of extinction.

The bald eagle is a large, powerful, easily recognized predator. But beyond their grace and beauty, bald eagles do an important job in their habitats. Their diet consists mainly of fish, supplemented by rodents and some scavenging. Unlike humans who want the healthiest, most unblemished fish, eagles don't discriminate. More often than not, eagles weed out the sick, weak and old. The species of fish, such as salmon, that bald eagles prey upon are constantly improved because only the strongest members live to pass on their genes.

By helping the rodent populations, bald eagles do an even more directly valuable service for their human neighbors. The damage that rats, mice and rabbits can do to crops is immense and can have far-reaching deleterious effects on how we live. Even scavenging, unglamorous though it is, is important for a clean habitat.