Savage! Maine Loon Stabs Bald Eagle Through The Heart

Normally, we think of Loons as being serene birds that float along Maine's lakes and ponds.  Apparently, this is not always the case.

In a post on the Maine.gov website, it was revealed that a Bald Eagle was killed by a Loon.

The eagle, found dead in Bridgton's Highland Lake on July 26th, 2019, when a loon stabbed it through the heart!

Initially, it was believed the eagle had been shot.  To determine if this was the case, Maine Game Warden Neal Wykes took the eagle to the nearby Norway Veterinary Hospital.  The radiograph did not show any metal (like a bullet or birdshot) in the bird.  It did, however, show a puncture in the bird's heart.

As the eagle was found near a dead loon chick, it is believed that the eagle died when the mama loon attacked it in an attempt to save her hatch-ling.

The eagle was then sent to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin for a more thorough examination.  Sure enough, researchers there determined that, because of the shape and size of the puncture, there was a near certainty that the death was caused by a loon. Additionally, the spacing of the talon marks on the loon chick pointed to the eagle as the reason for the baby's death.

Researchers say this is the first time evidence of a situation like this has been seen.