Regis is a Bald Eagle from Anson County in southern North Carolina. He was hatched in March of 2008 but was found injured in late June 2009. His badly broken left wing healed wrong in the wild and left him flightless. The finders took him to the Carolina Raptor Center, where veterinary evaluations found the wing to be irreparable, but they also found that the misalignment was not causing him pain. A permanent home was found for him here at Three Rivers Avian Center in late January 2011.
Bald Eagles are dark birds in appearance for the first 3–4 years, then gradually molt into the more recognized white head and tail by the time they are five years old. During the process of aging, for the first several years they can have a mottled white and dark brown appearance anywhere over their body. Their adult white head gives the species the name "bald" because when this eagle species was first named "bald," it meant "white" instead of "hairless," as it does now.
Bald Eagles, the only eagle unique to North America, were officially named as the national bird and symbol for the United States in 1782. Classified as a member of the sea eagle family, they are found from Alaska through Canada and down into northern Mexico. Their diet, consisting of mostly fish, waterfowl, birds, rodents, small mammals, and fresh carrion, reflects their adaptability. They can be found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth or large-diameter trees for nesting. They mate for life and can live to be around 40 years old. Bald eagles made their way into the New River Gorge area in the early 1990s, with the first nest being found in 2010, marking a significant milestone in their expansion.
Population numbers of Bald Eagles began declining in the mid-1960s, earning them protection in 1967 as an endangered species under a law that was a precursor to the Endangered Species Act of 1975. The reason for the sharp decline was found to be the use of the pesticide DDT, which was used to kill black flies, mosquitoes, and other insect pests. The pesticide-coated insects were then eaten by the fish and other prey that the eagles ingested, leading to toxic levels accumulating in the bird. Recovery efforts have been successful, and Bald Eagles were removed from the Endangered Species List in June of 2007.
