Veterinarians believe he got into a fight with another bald eagle before he was found, unable to fly, several months ago. According to a news release from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, or CROW, this American bald eagle had a wound on its leg which required “several days of bandaging” to heal. He was also missing seven of the ten primary flight feathers, according to Breanna Frankel, CROW’s rehabilitation manager.
“He was missing seven of the ten primary flight feathers and some of the secondary feathers on his right wing along with several damaged feathers on the left wing and tail,” she said.
CROW veterinarians were able to do a “feather transplant” on the bird, using feathers collected from deceased eagles. The process is called “imping.” After physical therapy, and a steady, strengthening diet of rats, fish, and other food over 195 days, the raptor was released in a field in Estero, near where he was found, injured and flightless.