Bald Eagle #16-1663

Species Name (EN): 
Species Name (LA): 
Admission Date: 
July 22, 2016
Location of Rescue: 
Virginia Beach, VA
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Foot injuries associated with fishing line
Prognosis: 
Outcome: 
Euthanized
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive

On July 22, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries conducted a surprise inspection of a wildlife rehabilitation facility in eastern Virginia, which resulted in the seizure of several birds of prey. Among them was Bald Eagle #16-1663 which was transferred to the Wildlife Center for evaluation and care. No medical records were sent with the birds, but social media reports state that this young eagle hatched earlier this year in Virginia Beach. In May, when biologists with the Center for Conservation Biology went to the nest to band the eaglets and to place transmitters on the young birds, they found fishing line wrapped tightly around one eaglet's foot. The bird was pulled from the nest and treated.

When the bird was admitted to the Wildlife Center this past week, Dr. Ernesto found that the old constriction wound had healed, but had caused long-term damage to the digits on the bird's right foot. While the keratin on the bird's talons is slowly growing, the underlying bone on each of the four digits is missing or deformed, which means the talons will never fully grow back. Without talons, the bird will not be able to effectively obtain food and defend itself, which makes the eagle non-releasable.

In addition to the foot injuries, Dr. Ernesto also found an old, healed fracture in the eaglet's right ulna. The Bald Eagle tested positive for lead, though the sub-clinical level of 0.034 ppm doesn't require treatment. The bird will be placed in an outdoor enclosure for additional monitoring and evaluation. As long as the eagle doesn't show signs of bumblefoot due to the foot injuries, the Center will likely seek placement at an educational institution.

Your special donation will help the Center to provide care to this Bald Eagle … and all of the patients admitted in 2016. Please help!
 

Updates

December 9, 2016

During the fall months, Bald Eagle #16-1663 was housed in one of the Center's large flight pens with several other non-releasable eagles. Unfortunately, the eagle was more high-strung than the others, and continually injured itself in the flight pen, even with protective wing bumpers. The veterinary team treated the eagle several times. Because the eagle was doing poorly in captivity, the veterinary team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the bird.

August 1, 2016

Bald Eagle #16-1663 has been doing well in one of the Center's outdoor enclosures during the past week. The bird is perching normally and doesn't appear to be having any balance issues. The veterinary staff will continue to monitor the bird's feet closely during regular foot and feather checks.

A number of people have asked why the talons on this young Bald Eagle will not grow back. The visible portion of a raptor's talons is made of keratin, which continues to grow throughout a raptor's life. The underlying (non-visible) portion of the talon is made of bone, which can be seen in this photo of a preserved owl's foot:

Bald Eagle #16-1663's radiographs clearly show the difference between its healthy, normal talons on the left foot and the extremely damaged talons of the right foot. If only the keratin layer of the talons had been damaged, the bird would likely be able to re-grow normal talons over time. Unfortunately, the underlying bone on each digit is missing on the damaged right foot. Since the eagle is missing the bone on the tip of each digit, the talons will never grow back, which makes the eagle non-releasable.


 

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