Patient No. 2025-701 didn’t know it, but it was a pretty special bird.
Last week it became the 800th bald eagle to be treated, rehabilitated and released back into the wild by the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland.
“Eagles are symbols of resilience and recovery,” said Katie Warner, director of the center, in a news release. “To be able to release the 800th rehabilitated Bald Eagle into the wild is a significant conservation achievement.”
Since opening in 1979, the Audubon facility has rehabilitated thousands of raptors including eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. So far this year, the center said it has returned 30 bald eagles to the wild. Friday’s release of the 800th bald Eagle came less than three years after it released its 700th bald eagle in January 2023.
Audubon said the center annually treats more than 700 sick, injured or orphaned raptors, and it has about 30 “ambassador birds” who reside at the facility.
Fortunately for No. 2025-701, its stay at the Maitland facility wasn’t long. Audubon said the adult female eagle came from Seminole County on Oct. 11 after she was injured in a territorial fight with another eagle. Among its injuries were wounds on its left wing, abrasions on its feet and bruising on its chest.
“The clinic also found that the bird tested positive for lead poisoning, a common cause of illness in bald eagles and other raptors that occurs when the bird is exposed to lead-contaminated wastewater or eats animals shot with lead bullets,” Audubon said.
Bald eagles were removed from the federal list of Threatened and Endangered Species in 2007. They are still protected by state and federal laws but face threats including habitat loss, nest destruction, vehicle collisions and poisoning.
While once near extinction, Audubon said Florida’s bald eagle population has made an “amazing recovery” and is now considered stable, with approximately 2,500 nesting pairs.
“Like people, these birds depend on places with clean water and healthy ecosystems to call home,” Warner said. “Audubon, through conservation actions, advocacy, rehabilitation, and education contributes to protecting the places these birds need.”
For No. 2025-701, the perfect place for its release was determined to be on private property in Sorrento in Lake County. Audubon officials try to find a good habitat area that doesn’t include other bald eagles to avoid possible territorial scuffles and give the released birds space to thrive.
Florida House Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, carried and help release the eagle.
The Center for Birds of Prey is usually open to the public and welcomes visitors, but it’s currently closed while construction continues on a new aviary for three owl species. It is expected to reopen in February. The center’s Raptor Trauma Clinic remains open and is accepting patients.