Georgia bald eagles stricken by bird flu as it spreads in US

Bald Eagles-Avian Flu-Georgia
In this March 23, 2007, file photo, a bald eagle sits on a nest overlooking Lake Oconee near Greensboro, Ga. A flu infecting birds nationwide is being blamed for the deaths of three bald eagles in Georgia, researchers confirmed Thursday, April 14, 2022. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

A flu infecting birds nationwide is being blamed for the deaths of three bald eagles in Georgia.

The University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Diseases Study said it confirmed the avian flu in the eagles Thursday.

It marks the first time the virus has been confirmed in the species in Georgia, officials said. Researchers first detected the disease in the dead eagles found in Chatham, Glynn and Liberty counties in March. Lab tests at the United States Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the results.