Injured bald eagle gets treated just in time for July 4th

An injured bald eagle here — likely Liberty or Justice, who have made their home at a D.C. police academy for more than a decade — was treated at City Wildlife Monday after being found Saturday following a thunderstorm.

Based on its weight and talon size, the injured bird likely is Justice, the male of the pair, said Dan Rauch, a wildlife biologist with D.C.’s Department of Energy and Environment.

It is not possible to definitively determine the injured bird’s identity because neither eagle is tagged, but the location where it was found means it is likely the injured bird is Justice, Rauch said.

The bird has no obvious fractures or other signs of trauma, said Kristy Jacobus, the clinic director at City Wildlife, after she completed an examination Monday morning. It was alert during the examination, yellow eyes bright and pink tongue out as it panted from the stress of human contact, and let out a few squeals as Jacobus felt along its wings and feet for injuries.

The eagle was found around 4:45 p.m. Saturday, following intense rain that came with an afternoon thunderstorm. It will be taken to a center in Delaware for further examination and a full X-ray and returned to D.C. once it has been cleared, Jacobus said.

The bird is the first bald eagle that City Wildlife has treated in the four years since it opened.

JAHI CHIKWENDIU / THE WASHINGTON POST Eliza Burbank, an assistant animal care manager with City Wildlife, holds an injured bald eagle that was rescued in Washington, D.C.

Burbank holds the bald eagle while it is treated.