One major side effect of DDT was the extreme damage to bird populations. DDT caused the shells of bird eggs to become extremely thin, which made them prone to breaking from minor disturbances and failing to thrive due to temperature regulation issues. It also slowly poisoned animals, especially birds that fed on insects that were poisoned by DDT. A notable bird species that was affected by DDT is the bald eagle. At one point in the 1960s, bald eagles nearly went extinct due to various effects of DDT. The threat of one of the most recognizable animals in America going extinct led to lawmakers trying to ban DDT.
