The population of the national icon of the United States, the Bald Eagle, has greatly increased.

Bald eagle nests in Nebraska's Cornhusker State broke a record for active nests. Game commissioners and partners in Nebraska's Game and Parks Commission noted that out of 146 bald eagle nests inspected, 111 actively housed the great symbol of the United States.

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Back then, there were 100,000 nesting eagles when this bird was chosen as the country's national icon. When 1800 started, the population of the bald eagle began to decline.

At the end of World War II, widespread use of DDT and lead helped cause a dramatic drop in the bald eagle population. By 1963, there were just 487 nesting pairs of bald eagles left

Because of these reasons, the bald eagle was placed in the list of endangered species. The eagles shouldn't be harmed intentionally, according to the act. A ban on DDT was also put in place, allowing the number of bald eagle to grow. In 1990, the bald eagle was no longer in the endangered species list.

Lisa Smith, head of Tri-state Bird Rescue and Research Inc. in Northern Delaware, said the bald eagles are now competing for space. The bald eagle population today stands at 69,000.

"It's hard to step away from the fact that they are our nation's symbol and knowing that they've now come back from the brink," said biologist Patti Barber from Pennsylvania Game Commission.

"I think a lot of people have a lot of pride that we managed to do that," Barber added.

TagsBald eagle, animal extinction, animal conservation, animal kingdom