Federal authorities are offering a $5,000 reward after a bald eagle was shot and killed in Vermont.

An adult dead bald eagle was reported to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in Bridport, Vermont on Oct. 15, 2024. An analysis found metal pellets and “recent wounds consistent with shotgun fire in the eagle’s body,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a news release. 

The eagle was at least 18 years old and was first observed in Vermont in August 2006, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. 

State and federal officials are jointly investigating the eagle’s shooting. Anyone with information about the bird’s death should contact the departments.

The $5,000 reward is being offered for information that helps “significantly furthers the investigation into, or leads to enforcement action against” the person or people involved in the shooting, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. 

Bald eagles are a protected species at both the federal and state levels. They are no longer considered endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Vermont’s state endangered species statutes. They are still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which carries a maximum fine of $15,000 for killing a bald eagle, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which carries a maximum fine of $100,000. 

Vermont is home to at least 45 territorial pairs of bald eagles, according to Audubon Vermont, a branch of the National Audubon Society, a non-profit conservation organization.