As of 2021, what is the status of the bald eagle listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature?

The International Union for Conservation (IUCN) was founded in 1964. It is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species using a set of precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies.

The IUCN uses a Red List of Threatened Species to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers.

As of 2021, the bald eagle holds a place in the category classified as Least Concern. It is considered a bird of prey found in North America. Considered an opportunistic feeder, it survives mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. The bald eagle is not actually bald but derives its name from an older meaning of the word, “white headed”.

The bald eagle’s average lifespan in the world is approximately 20 years.

The bird is important in various Native American cultures and its feathers are central to many religious and spiritual customs. It is the national bird of the United States, seen displayed in seals and logos, coinage, postage stamps, and other artifacts of the U.S. federal government.

Due to the legal protection afforded the bald eagle in the United States, the population continues to increase. One report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the lower 48 states, estimated their current number to be more than 316,000 as of 2021.