REPUBLIC, Mo. — Painstaking hours spent capturing and attempting to diagnose a bald eagle in southern Missouri resulted in what seemed like a practical joke.
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) officials recently captured the eagle along the boundary of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield outside of Springfield. The capture reportedly happened after officials thought the bird was injured, but X-rays indicated the only problem the eagle was facing was its diet.
"The bird ... was found to be healthy but engorged with raccoon --- in other words, too fat to fly," officials at the national battlefield posted on Facebook.
The scans of the eagle show the remains of what officials suspect to be a roadkill raccoon inside the eagle's stomach, including a paw and other bones.
Around 70% to 90% of a bald eagle's diet is fish. The birds, however, are opportunist feeders, according to the American Eagle Foundation.
"They will feed on what is most available, and requiring the least amount of energy to acquire it," the foundation said. "For example, Bald Eagles will often follow the fall migration of ducks and geese and feed on birds that have been injured by hunters. They also can feed on moderately sized wild mammals, such as ground hogs."
Roadkill also falls into the "most available" foods eagles feed on.
The eagle was re-released into the area near the battlefield, thanks to coordinating efforts of MDC, the National Parks Service, and the Dickerson Park Zoo.
