By By LYDIA GRIMES – Features writer
An American bald eagle was found dead last month on Jay Road.
A resident of Jay Road was out walking with his son when they found the eagle.
Frank Reid, the local representative from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, picked the bird up to be sent to a biologist in Spanish Fort.
Officials believe a vehicle hit the eagle while it was feeding on some road-kill.
Reid said bald eagles have been sighted in Escambia County before.
According to the USFWS, when the American Bald Eagle is first hatched, it is a dark color all over. The mature bird will have a white head. It can have a length of 32 inches and a wingspan of 80 inches.
Bald eagles can be mistaken for vultures to the casual spectator, but according to Reid, &#8220if you have seen an eagle fly, you will know the difference.”
The USFWS declared the American bald eagle endangered in 1967 - even before the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 1995, they were declared &#8220threatened” in the lower 48 states.
In the intervening years, the eagles have made a remarkable comeback.
Birds have been banded and placed where they stand a chance of survival and apparently it is working.
It is thought the Bald Eagle may be dropped from the threatened list by the USFWS, but the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act will still protect it.
Anyone caught with a feather or any other part of the bird can be prosecuted and fined as much as $10,000 and/or imprisoned.