The Bald Eagle, emblem of the United States of America, suffered a drastic population decline because of habitat reduction and human interaction. Listed in Montana as an endangered species in 1978 and protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it became a major recovery success in both national and Montana history. By 1980, Montana populations had fallen to 17 known nesting sites, but in just 25 years habitat management reversed the decline, and nesting sites grew to approximately 300 in 2005. A nesting site across the river, in the tallest tree a couple of hundred yards downstream, has been used for many years and has successfully produced many offspring. Even if removed from the Endangered Species Act, Bald Eagles continue to be protected by the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits killing, selling, or otherwise harming eagles, their nests, or eggs. Bald Eagles are primarily fish eaters and often steal from osprey near the river, but they also eat duck, young geese, small mammals, and, in winter, carrion. Their lifespan in the wild is approximately 20 years.