A second bald eagle has died after a Wednesday fight with a younger eagle in Bar Harbor.
The eagle was fighting with another bald eagle when their talons became tangled and came down on Bar Harbor Road, according to Acadia Wildlife Center.
The fight happened after the younger eagle, who was about 4 years old, tested his limits when he encroached on a mated pair at Leland Point, possibly in a territorial or mating dispute, the wildlife center said.
The younger eagle severely fractured his spine in the fall and damaged his internal organs. He died during the night at Acadia Wildlife Center.
The older bald eagle was taken to Maine Wildlife Rehabilitation in Old Town, where he was evaluated for a broken leg and severely injured eye. He was put down because an eagle can’t survive in the wild with just one eye, and the injured eye was draining and painful, according to Acadia Wildlife Center.
“The femur was broken midshaft which may have been pinned, but the eye was the determining factor and he was humanely euthanized,” Acadia Wildlife Center said Saturday morning.
The Bangor Daily News reported on the younger eagle’s death on Thursday afternoon.
Maine is home to more than 800 nesting pairs of bald eagles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Nearly 60 years ago, there were just 21 nesting pairs and the bald eagle was close to disappearing from Maine altogether. The bald eagle’s recovery has allowed it to be removed from the federal and state endangered species lists.
The older eagle was part of a mating pair well-known around Leland Point. This year the pair had raised one chick, which had already fledged. The mate spent the day looking for her partner to no avail.
“Everything that could be done, was done but one of the unfortunate consequences of a healthier eagle population in Maine is a dwindling number of nest sites and an increase in competition for them,” the wildlife center said.
