The history of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) across North America is an odd mixture of disinterest, abuse and tragedy. Until relatively recently Bald Eagles had a bounty on their heads, and hunters received financial reward for killing them. There is a level of unfathomable irony in the United States that the Bald Eagle was adopted as its national symbol, displayed in every manner imaginable to incite sentiments of strength, power and patriotism, yet its extermination was a sanctioned goal.
