Bald eagle siblings killed by bird flu within days of each other in Florida, tests show
The back-to-back deaths of two beloved bald eagle siblings stunned the thousands of people who tuned into the livestream of their nest in Florida.
Now, biologists have shared they both died from bird flu.
The bald eaglets, known as E24 and E25, died within 36 hours of each other, McClatchy News previously reported.
Moderators of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam Facebook page told their more than 270,000 followers that E24 showed 'signs of distress' before collapsing and dying Jan. 26.
The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife received permission to collect E24's body from the nest the next day, and biologists said they 'found E25 bright and alert with no signs of stress.'
The team said it didn't have permission to pull E25 from the nest, and the bird even avoided the staff member sent up there, so they left the eaglet alone.
Fans mourned the loss of the 43-day-old E24, only to be hit by a second piece of bad news less than two days later.
The early morning of Jan. 28, E25 started having seizures before falling out of the nest, moderators shared.
'This is uncharted territory for our cameras and viewers,' they wrote.
The wildlife clinic returned to the site and collected E25's body, then found out Jan. 29 that both birds had tested positive for avian flu.
'The current strain of avian influenza is a highly pathogenic form of the H5N1 virus which has caused devastating losses in the birds it affects,' the clinic shared on Facebook. 'While some birds, such as waterfowl, can shed the virus while remaining asymptomatic, other species, such as birds of prey, are highly susceptible and can succumb to the disease rapidly, as we witnessed with the eaglets in this nest.'
The eaglets likely got sick by eating an infected bird, according to Jessica Comolli, the organization's research and medical director.
With the two chicks now dead, the focus turns to the adult eagles, M15 and F23.
'We also need to understand that this disease progresses very rapidly in raptors,' Comolli said in a news conference broadcast by WingsOfWhimsy on YouTube. 'I would say the next one to two weeks is a very important time to watch these animals for any signs of deterioration.'
She added the adults have more robust immune systems than the chicks, and it's possible they already have antibodies protecting them.
Those monitoring the nest on the livestream are now tasked with reporting any signs of sickness in the adults to proper wildlife officials.
'It was such a privilege to have been able to watch these two hatch and grow together,' one member of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam commented. 'It is so concerning for the adult eagles but I will remain hopeful they pull through and can continue to thrive.'
The U.S. is in the midst of a bird flu outbreak affecting the poultry and dairy industries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness is considered widespread in wild birds, and as of Jan. 28, more than 11,065 wild birds had tested positive for avian influenza.
The eagle nest is in North Fort Myers.
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