Bald eagle population growth stunted by lead poisoning, study finds

Bald eagles' population size is being affected by lead poisoning, according to scientists at the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University. A study found the birds are eating hunters' gunshot ammunition, decreasing their population growth by 4 to 6%.

For the study, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, scientists looked at population regrowth numbers for bald eagle populations across the Northeast. They found that hunters who "field dress" their prey and leave the contaminated organs on site put the eagles that scavenge the remains at risk. Other species, including owls, crows, coyotes, foxes, fisher and bears, eat the remains as well, meaning they are all possibly at risk of being poisoned. 

"We haven't collected data on these other species in the same way that we pay attention to eagles," Schuler said. "We're putting eagles out there as a poster species for this issue, but they're not the only ones being impacted."