13 bald eagles found dead on Maryland farm

Officials reportedly found the others once they were on the scene. The natural resources police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the incident.

American bald eagles are no longer endangered, but they are considered a protected species.

The dead eagles included three that were fully mature with majestic white head and tail feathers.

The national symbol of the USA, bald eagles were almost wiped out by hunting, pesticides, and habitat loss in the 20th century.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the birds to die but one official said there were “no obvious signs of trauma with these birds”, according to Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

“(There’s) no need to have anything like that, certainly no DDT, which has been banned for years”, said Edgehill, who owns the farm where the eagles were found.

There is no word yet on the cause of death. Though weakened by the poison, numerous rodents are still able to scurry, which are spotted by the eagles and get eaten. Owing to rapid deforestation and urbanization, eagles are increasingly finding it hard to find food, and may sometimes scavenge dead animals, too. The rest were immature brown bald eagles still growing up. The bodies of the birds were to be sent to a forensic lab in OR for analysis. Sometimes even wind farms become lethal for these majestic creatures.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, bald eagles were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.

The protection act strictly prohibits any America citizen from capturing, taking possession, selling or importing any dead or alive bald or golden eagle.

Maryland’s DNR Police tip line number: 410-260-8888.

Rewards from various wildlife groups in this case now total $10,000 for information that leads to a conviction if it turns out the birds will killed deliberately.