Several Pacific Northwest bald eagles have been poisoned by lead

The Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria has admitted three bald eagles in recent weeks, an unusual spike that highlights an ongoing but often overlooked threat to raptors in Oregon: lead poisoning.

While the center treats bald eagles every year, staff say receiving three in such a short time is uncommon. Two of the three birds tested positive for lead exposure upon arrival.

And last March, a Prineville Fish and Wildlife trooper responded to reports of an injured eagle on a Powell Butte property in Oregon. An assessment found that the juvenile bald eagle was also suffering from lead poisoning.

Bald eagles may be America’s mascot, but they’re not the majestic predators people like to imagine. They’re opportunistic scavengers that prefer carrion over fresh kills.

And a gut pile left behind by a hunter? That’s the perfect meal: warm, easy to find and already opened up.

But when that gut pile contains bullet fragments made of lead, the consequences can be deadly. Even microscopic pieces are enough to poison an eagle, causing neurological damage or death.

Spring bear season was open in Northwest Oregon when the Astoria wildlife center reported the bald eagle admissions, so hunting and gut piles left behind are a likely cause of the poisoning.

A 2022 study published in Science and backed by the U.S. Geological Survey found that nearly half of all bald and golden eagles across North America show signs of chronic lead poisoning. About one-third of the birds experienced acute lead exposure, particularly during hunting season.

Researchers analyzed samples from 1,210 eagles — alive and dead — across 38 states over eight years, revealing that scavenging on carcasses and gut piles left behind by hunters using lead ammunition is the primary cause.

Population models estimate that lead poisoning is reducing bald eagle population growth by almost 4% per year and golden eagle growth by almost 1%.

In addition to gut piles, eagles may ingest lead from spent shotgun pellets, lost fishing tackle like sinkers and jigs, lead-contaminated fish, unretrieved waterfowl, or, in rare cases, exposure at mining sites and landfills.

Gut piles — full of soft tissue and easy to spot — offer eagles an irresistible and highly dangerous source of lead exposure during hunting season.

The Wildlife Center is asking for public support to help cover the cost of treatment and care for the eagles, including chelation therapy, a medical process used to remove lead from a bird’s system.