Bald eagles may be too comfortable around humans, scientists warn, as an increasing number of these birds have been seen building their nests in people's front yards and in public parks. This raises concern among wildlife experts, as the birds used to hide out in the deep wilderness, far away from people.
So why are the birds suddenly willing to cohabitate with humans?
Scientists believe that the behavioral changes observed in bald eagles are a direct result of strict laws established to protect species and help them recover after nearly dying out in the early 1960s.
"The main thing is they just don't really care as much about people anymore," Kevin McGowan, a behavioral ecologist from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said in a statement. McGowan added that bald eagles "are coming in on their own and putting their nests in people's front yards, and in parks and in gardens and things like that. That just didn't happen in the '60s and '70s. They'd pick a big tree that was way the heck away from all the people."
While bald eagle sightings are still rare in large cities, they can be found across most of North America. Nesting pairs have been seen recently in the Washington area -- which houses the largest numbers on the East Coast -- New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Miami.
Although the bald eagle has been delisted under the Endangered Species Act, it is still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which was originally passed in 1940. With these laws, the government is empowered to go after those responsible for the death of any bald eagles.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is currently offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information to help them in their investigation of a mature bald eagle that was shot and killed in northwest Georgia last month.
Killing or harming a bald eagle carries maximum penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and one year in prison. Therefore, the agency is seeking any information that will lead them to a conviction of the person, or people, responsible for this unlawful act.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is also investigating the crime. Officials have not yet released any information regarding the exact location where the bird was found, what type of gun was likely used to shoot it or if there are any suspects.
This event follows the mysterious death of 13 bald eagles, which were discovered on a farm along Maryland's Eastern Shore. This event marks the single largest mass death of bald eagles in the state in the past 30 years; however, wildlife experts are still unsure as to what caused this major die-off.
Anyone with information on the killing of the Georgia bald eagle is asked to contact FWS Special Agent Brian Roland at 404-763-7959, or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Ranger Hotline at 1-800-241-4113.
