Injured Bald Eagle Found Along Interstate Has Died, West Nile Virus Suspected

The American bald eagle that was found injured Tuesday morning by Illinois Department of Transportation crews along Interstate 55 has died.

The eagle, a male between 3 and 4 years old, was being treated for head trauma and wing and feet abrasions at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, according to the center.

The staff has ruled out the possibility that the eagle was hit by a car, based on an initial necropsy performed by Willowbrook staff veterinarian Jen Nevis, which showed no signs of internal trauma. They now suspect the eagle may have died from West Nile virus, and the injuries may have been caused by the raptor being on the ground, unable to fly.

The bird was taken to the University of Illinois for a more thorough necropsy and tests for West Nile virus, avian influenza and Newcastle disease, among other more extensive tests.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tag on the eagle indicated it was the same bird that was brought in Feb. 2014 to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center after it was shot in Oak Lawn. The eagle was released in April 2014 at Pratt’s Wayne Woods in Wayne.

Some of the test results may be available in a day or two, according to the center.

Photos courtesy of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and DuPage County Animal Care and Control.