Augusta, GA (AP) - Eight bald eagles found dead a lake near the Georgia - South Carolina border died of a disease linked to an invasive weed, authorities have determined.
The deaths, which occurred during the winter and early spring, were the result of an algae-borne linked to the invasive weed
Scientists working to find ways of controlling the problem say they aren't the first bald deaths linked to the weed. They say 11 eagles died in the area during the previous season.
The eagles succumbed to avian vacuolar myelinopathy, caused by algae that grow mats of hydrilla, wildlife officials said. The weeds are part of popular feeding sites for small aquatic birds, which are eaten by eagles and help spread the disease to them.
Low water levels and unseasonably warm temperatures may have hastened the growth of the weed, made it more accessible to birds and helped spread the disease, said Ken Boyd, a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The deaths are the focus of research by wildlife agencies and University of Georgia scientists.
One option being studied involves introducing grass-eating-carp to the reservoir in hopes that the fish would eliminate the
Despite the eagle deaths at Lake Thurmond, the overall bald eagle population in Georgia continues to expand, the state Department of Natural Resources reported last week.
Information from: The Augusta Chronicle
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