A white-tailed eagle, found injured Wednesday in Snæfellsnes, West Iceland, was transported to Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo yesterday morning, RÚV reports. An ornithologist believes the eagle, which is a young female, will make a full recovery.
Travelers found the eagle west of Stykkishólmur. It flapped one wing, but couldn’t fly, making them suspect its wing was broken. Workers in Bjarnarhöfn were notified, and they, along with staff from the West Iceland Center of Natural History, were able to catch the bird. A lift to Reykjavík was requested for the eagle on Facebook, and easily obtained.
Kristinn Haukur Skarphéðinsson, ornithologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, reports the bird was brought to the Animal Hospital yesterday morning for examination.
“That revealed there were a few primary flight feathers missing, which is unusual at this time of year,” Kristinn states and adds it’s unclear what caused the injury, but suggests it may have been attacked by another animal, or that it possibly flew into a fence.
He finds it likely the eagle will recover fully. “The prognosis is good and these feathers, which now are missing, are growing back and will be fully grown in a few weeks. I expect it to fly free again sometime in February.”
You can watch a video of the eagle here.
