A bald eagle initially thought to be injured because it could not fly was found to be healthy after wildlife officials determined the bird was just “too fat” after feasting on roadkill.
The bald eagle was found along the border of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, officials said at the park, which is part of US National Park Service.
After the Missouri Department of Conservation captured the bird for rehabilitation, wildlife officials determined the bird was fine when X-rays revealed the real reason the eagle was unable to fly.
“The bird, originally reported to be injured, was found to be healthy but full of raccoon — in other words, too fat to fly,” officials said in a social media post.
FOOD TRUCK OFFERS INSURANCE POLICY AFTER HUNGRY BIRDS CAUSED TROUBLE AMONG CUSTOMERS
The bald eagle was initially reported to be injured after it appeared to have trouble flying. (Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield)
The X-rays taken at the Dickerson Park Zoo show the outline of what wildlife officials suspect is raccoon roadkill inside the eagle’s belly.
X-rays of a bald eagle appear to show the outline of a raccoon paw inside its distended abdomen. (Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield)
The agency released a photo showing what appears to be a raccoon paw in the bird’s stomach, and a second photo showing the predator’s distended stomach.
While fish make up about 70% to 90% of an eagle’s diet, the bird “will feed on whatever is most available and requires the least amount of energy to acquire it,” according to the American Bald Eagle Foundation.
US HUNTERS ARE WARNED OF SERIOUS THREAT TO EAGLE POPULATION
Wild civil servants later released the eagle near where it was found in the park in accordance with federal and state laws.
The bald eagle was later released back into the park near where wildlife officials initially captured the bird. (Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Wilson’s Creek was the site of the second major battle of the Civil War, and the first significant confrontation west of the Mississippi River, according to a description on the NPS website.
US Army officer Nathaniel Lyon was killed during the battle, becoming the first Union general to be killed during the war.