A 66-year-old man originally from Brush Prairie has been charged with killing a bald eagle earlier this year, as told by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. He faces two misdemeanor counts, one under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and one for the unlawful killing of a migratory bird.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers were called to a property on February 5 after a dead eagle was found with blood around its head. Prosecutors say the man kept chickens not far from where the bird was found, and that witnesses reported hearing a gunshot earlier that day. A veterinarian’s examination later identified two shotgun pellets in the eagle’s head as the cause of death.
The man is scheduled to appear in court on September 8. A conviction under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act carries up to a year in prison and a fine of as much as $500,000, while the migratory bird count carries up to six months and a $5,000 fine.
