The American bald eagle (1) ... off the endangered register in the next two years. More than 1,130 animals and plants (2) ... by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened, making it illegal to kill or harm them. Until now, few species had been removed from the register and when they were it was usually because they (3) ... extinct. As America's national bird, the bald eagle has been protected in various ways since 1940. The eagle, that is not really bald but looks it because of the white feathers on its head, (4) ... only in North America. It (5) ... the centre of attention in the argument about the best way to protect endangered species. Most environmentalists agree that if the use of pesticides isn't reduced, it (6) ... the reproductive system of rare species. But fortunately, there are now more than 5,000 nesting pairs of the bald eagle in the continental US and the numbers (7) ... at 10 per cent a year.