A majestic bald eagle soars overhead.
The Bald Eagle’s Comeback in Pennsylvania
-
Asia Tabb
A majestic bald eagle soars overhead.
Aired; July 3rd, 2025.
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.
As Americans get ready to celebrate Independence Day, the bald eagle—a powerful symbol of freedom and the nation itself—continues to be a soaring success story in Pennsylvania. Once nearly wiped out due to pesticide use, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback across the Commonwealth.
“The bald eagle is a large bird of prey that people across North America can recognize,” said Sean Murphy, Pennsylvania State Ornithologist. “They’re easy to spot with their white heads and large brown bodies, soaring high and foraging along waterways.”
But the future of this national symbol once looked grim. From the 1950s through the 1970s, bald eagle populations plummeted due to DDT, a pesticide widely used in agriculture. “DDT caused eggshell thinning,” Murphy explained. “The eggs would crack under the weight of the parents or fail to allow proper gas exchange, leading to rapid declines in bald eagle populations, along with other raptors like ospreys and peregrine falcons.”
By the early 1980s, Pennsylvania was home to just two or three nesting pairs.
That’s when the state stepped in. The Pennsylvania Game Commission partnered with officials in Saskatchewan, Canada, to relocate and “hack” young eagles—releasing them into the wild in a controlled way that minimized human contact and encouraged natural behavior.
“That effort started in 1983,” Murphy said. “And by 2014, bald eagles were removed from the state’s threatened and endangered species list.”
That year, Pennsylvania counted over 300 nests—up from just a handful three decades earlier. Since then, the population has grown so robust that exact numbers are no longer tracked. “We’re seeing bald eagle nests in places we never would have expected—next to highways, on golf courses, even in people’s backyards,” Murphy said.
Even better: eagles have been documented nesting in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. “Wherever you are in PA, you have a chance of seeing an eagle,” Murphy said. “That’s incredible to think about given where we were in the 1980s.”
The success isn’t just statewide. A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey showed the eagle population in the Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, has quadrupled over the past decade.
With the Fourth of July approaching, Murphy encouraged Pennsylvanians to keep an eye to the skies. “Eagles tend to be near large bodies of water and soar high,” he said. “So take a look up—you might see a turkey vulture or a hawk, but there’s always a chance it’s a bald eagle.”
It’s a striking comeback for a bird that nearly vanished—and a fitting reminder of the power of conservation, just in time for America’s birthday.
