And the demand for eagle feathers has begun to soar. Black-market prices for eagle feathers and parts are climbing too. And that, wildlife experts fear, could set off a wave of illegal poaching -- with disastrous results.
One reason for the growing demand for feathers is that thousands of non-Indian practitioners of New Age religions have embraced Indian beliefs and ceremonies. Four of them are arguing in federal court in Utah that restrictions on possessing eagle artifacts violate their constitutional right to freedom of religion.
Demand is growing among Native Americans as well: Indian leaders, seeking a revival of the community bonds that can improve education and prevent alcoholism, are promoting traditional beliefs and ceremonies.
As powwows and other observances grow in number, so does the demand for eagle parts. Currently, it takes as long as five years to have a request filled by the National Eagle Repository.
Many powwows include competitions among Native American performers, with cash prizes awarded, in part, for the most complete regalia.
This year the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is offering more than $200,000 in prizes at Schemitzun, from the Algonquin word meaning "feast of green corn and dance." More than 3,000 participants are expected at the festival, near the tribe's Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut, for the dance competition alone.
Then there are the private collectors of Indian artifacts, many of them in Europe, who pay tens of thousands of dollars for authentic regalia adorned with eagle feathers.
With demand outstripping legal supply, wildlife experts warn that any significant increase in the killing of eagles could undermine their continued recovery. The eagle population is especially vulnerable to disruption by hunters and trappers because the birds' reproductive cycle is long, slow and barely able to maintain itself under favorable circumstances.
"Eagles are vulnerable to shooting because they produce few young," said Jody Millar, a bald eagle recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Illinois. "The way they thrive in numbers is through longevity."
Eagles are usually between 4 and 8 years old when they pair up and begin laying eggs. They remain productive for about 10 years, usually having one successful chick per year. In harsh climates, where they live about 12 years, a typical couple will produce six fledglings. No more than half of the baby eagles survive long enough to reach adulthood.
