Bald eagle thought to be hurt was really just ‘too fat to fly,’ Missouri officials say

It turns out an “injured” bald eagle didn’t need to be nursed back to health, Missouri officials say, as the bird was simply suffering from success.

The eagle was temporarily taken into captivity after being spotted at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, park officials said in an Aug. 21 Facebook post. The bird was unable to fly, leading wildlife experts to believe it was hurt.

However, an x-ray soon revealed a surprising and somewhat macabre reason why the eagle was grounded — it had just been eating too well.

“The bird, originally reported to be injured, was found to be healthy but engorged with (raccoon) --- in other words, too fat to fly,” the park said.

Officials think the raccoon was roadkill, according to the post. A raccoon’s paw is visible inside the eagle’s stomach, one x-ray image shows.

Upon learning the rescued bird was doing just fine on its own, officials released it back into nature, the post said.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is a roughly 175-mile drive southeast from Kansas City.

This story was originally published August 25, 2024 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Bald eagle thought to be hurt was really just ‘too fat to fly,’ Missouri officials say."