When photographer Ron Goldfarb photographed a young bald eagle flying by at Lake Allatoona in late summer, Goldfarb noticed what looked like swelling in the bird’s throat.
Concerned, he emailed DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section. Is something wrong with this eagle, he asked, or is this “just a meal on the way down?”
Fortunately, it’s the latter, said Todd Schneider, a 33-year Wildlife Conservation ornithologist who recently retired from DNR. While the enlargement looks tumor-like, Schneider explained, it’s actually evidence that the bird has just eaten.
“That’s its crop where it temporarily stores food, which will then be slowly released to the stomach for digestion.”
Visit georgiawildlife.com/bald-eagle for more on bald eagles in Georgia, including the stages of nesting season — which has started — and the birds’ different appearances as they mature from juveniles to adults.