The symbol of American patriotism has returned as strong as ever.
In 1950, there were just 412 nesting pairs of bald eagles — the country's emblematic national bird since 1782 — in the United States. Now, thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, there are more than 69,000 eagles, wildlife researchers told CBS News.
"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," Patti Barber, a Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist, told CBS.