Eagles Eating Lead

America’s national symbol, the bald eagle, and its cousin, the golden eagle, are dying from lead. That’s the conclusion of the most extensive study ever done on the issue. The results appear in the journal Science.

Researchers studied hundreds of the big birds across 38 states from 2010 - 2018. They found that nearly half of both bird populations are suffering from chronic lead poisoning. Eagles get lead from one delivery system, when feeding on the remains of animals that have been shot with lead ammunition. Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that enters the bloodstream, filters through the liver, and builds up in bones over time.

“This is the first study of lead poisoning of wildlife at a nationwide scale, and it demonstrates the unseen challenges facing these two iconic eagle species,” says lead author on the study Dr. Vince Slabe. “Medical science tells us that, for humans, there is no safe amount of lead. Today we also know that redistributed lead in our environment is harming eagle populations across North America.”

The remedy for this travesty is simple: ban lead ammunition everywhere (as California has done, since 2019, to protect another big bird, the California condor). Lead ammo has been banned for hunting waterfowl federally since 1991, but it is still used – a lot – for upland hunting. It will come as no surprise that 2nd Amendment enthusiasts are against switching to unleaded ammo because of their baked-in aversion to (perceived) slippery slopes, as if any regulation is a first step toward the government confiscating their guns.

Politicians, being the way they are, are reluctant to kick that hornet's nest. New York State had the chance to ban lead ammo last year but the legislation died on the vine. Wildlife just can’t catch a break.

Incredible footage of a bald eagle soaring (and feeding) in New York City: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QoxIZkylxA. YouTube clip: Brad Balliett

Photo credit: Estelle Shuttleworth via AP