The sign for the new eagle exhibit at Roger Williams Park Zoo explains the lifecycle of the majestic birds.

the providence journal / Bob Thayer Bob Thayer

PROVIDENCE — Things are looking up for the American bald eagle, here and elsewhere.

In a week when officials in Washington, D.C., confirmed that the revered bird, a national symbol for the last two centuries, had been taken off the endangered species list, the keepers at Roger Williams Park Zoo were moving the zoo’s two resident eagles — Spirit and Glory — to a breathtaking new habitat made especially for them.

For anyone familiar with the zoo, their $1-million home, replete with a waterfall and stream and lots of branches on which the eagles can perch, is where “the polar bears used to be.”

“I think that for anyone who’s lived in Rhode Island and knows the zoo, this is phenomenal,” said Laura Dunn, a zoo spokesman. “It’s such a change.”

The 20-foot moat that used to separate the bears from the public has been filled in, allowing visitors access to a newly constructed walkway in an area where the bears used to swim. A large glass window that allowed visitors to see the bears swimming underwater has been replaced by a hill.

Anyone who visits the eagles exhibit — which officially opens to the public tomorrow morning — should be pleased with what they see, says Ron Patalano, the zoo’s deputy director.

“We’ve had them since 2004, but, my gosh, they are much more visible now,” said Patalano. “They have a much larger area to occupy, and geographically they fit better.”

The eagles were rescued by the World Bird Sanctuary after the birds injured their wings in South Dakota. The sanctuary repaired the birds’ wings, but while Spirit and Glory can stretch their wings and glide, they cannot fly more than a few feet.

“It is common for eagles in the Midwest to get stuck in power lines, and the WBS rescues them by fixing their wings,” Dunn said.

The ages of the two birds, which like to dine on small fish and mice, are unknown, said Dunn, but they were named by a zoo poll soon after arriving. Their new environs — the old one was near the zoo entrance — take into consideration their inability to fly.

Many branches are at ground level so the birds can get to the tree tops without having to fly. There is also a shallow cave for shelter in nasty weather.

“The first day they were here they were a little antsy,” Patalano said. “They were hanging out a lot near the cave. Today they’ve been out all day, roaming around. They even got up to the higher perches today.”

The new exhibit features a bridge of recycled plastic made to look like wood that leads through what appears to be rocky outcroppings. In reality, the outcroppings are block buildings made to look like rocks. Inside one of them is a 5,000-gallon fresh-water tank and pumps that circulate water through a waterfall. The eagle exhibit also has cedar trees and native plants to duplicate the eagles’ natural habit.

The exhibit is part of the zoo’s North American Trail, which will be complete in three years. From the eagles’ exhibit, visitors will have a panoramic view of the trail.

The main attraction of the North American Trail will be a new polar bear exhibit — eight times the size of the old one. The zoo has been without polar bears since 2005, but plans are to have them back by the end of 2010.

Jack Mulvena, the zoo’s director, said the $12.5-million expansion of the North American Trail — which includes the eagles, polar bears, red wolves and bison — is part of a larger $35-million plan to remake the zoo.

“One of our roles is to connect our public to issues that relate to habitat protection,” Mulvena said.

While the American bald eagle has been taken off the endangered list, there is much talk about whether the polar bears should be put on it as a result of the dangers posed by global warming, he said. “I don’t think it’s our job to hit people over the head with the message, but I would feel comfortable knowing that when people come to our zoo they’ll at least begin thinking about what is at stake and pay closer attention to what is going on.”

For America’s bald eagles, the story has been very good. Even before the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973, conservationists feared that the eagle would become extinct. Government biologists in 1963 were able to document only 417 remaining nesting pairs of bald eagles, and announced that the bird was on the verge of disappearing except in Alaska.

The biologists have since been able to document nearly 10,000 nesting pairs, including at least one pair in each of the 48 contiguous states. Some have linked the resurgence to the banning of the insecticide DDT, which had found its way into lakes and streams and into fish, which had been the eagle’s favorite food.

Although no longer deemed endangered, the eagles will continue to enjoy some protection under various state statutes and from a 1940 federal law that makes it illegal to kill the eagle, and which requires a permitting process for landowners who want to disturb property that have the birds.

The zoo’s new eagle habitat and the adjoining walkway were made possible, zoo officials say, through a $1-million grant from the Champlin Foundations. It was designed by Yoder Tidwell architects of Providence. Parriseault Builders of Warwick did the construction.The rock formations are the work of Carved Rock, a company in Wisconsin.

rdujardi@projo.com