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The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird
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About This Book
The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you're not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as "majestic" and "noble," yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from before the nation's founding through inconceivable resurgences of this enduring all-American species, Jack E. Davis contrasts the age when native peoples lived beside it peacefully with that when others, whether through hunting bounties or DDT pesticides, twice pushed Haliaeetus leucocephalus to the brink of extinction. Filled with spectacular stories of Founding Fathers, rapacious hunters, heroic bird rescuers, and the lives of bald eagles themselves—monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world's finest parents—The Bald Eagle is a much-awaited cultural and natural history that demonstrates how this bird's wondrous journey may provide inspiration today, as we grapple with environmental peril on a larger scale.
Reviews
"[an] engaging and highly detailed cultural and natural history of the unofficial national bird ..."
"Davis' unique look at a bird we all thought we were familiar with is well-researched and chock-full of fascinating historical and nature-oriented vignettes."
"The Bald Eagle is the rare natural history that plays as a comedy."
"With eagle numbers now estimated at levels they were before 'America became America,' their comeback is astonishing."
"A rousing tale of a species' survival."
"Though the organization of the book is puzzling, The Bald Eagle is compelling and paints a dignified portrait of the famous bird, within and outside of American culture."
"swoops and soars in a dazzling display of writing, evoking the bald eagle's majesty as it explores the eagle's place in American history and legend, as well as its role in cultivating a robust environmental movement."
"Still, this is an extraordinary and fundamentally optimistic story, and it sends a message we need to hear, as we face the formidable environmental challenges of the 21st century."
"Combining natural, political, and cultural histories, Davis offers a wealth of surprising information and demolishes popular misconception ..."
"This fascinating and readable work will appeal to fans of the majestic bald eagle and to those interested in the natural, cultural, and political history of the United States."
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