Birds of a feather — EcoTarium welcomes Golden Eagle and seeks a name
WORCESTER —The EcoTarium has just welcomed a new member to its avian family in the form of a golden eagle.
The as yet unnamed female raptor arrived in May from the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming, where she had been a patient since April 2021. After a 30-day quarantine under care from Tufts Wildlife Clinic, she is ready to meet her fellow Worcesterites, sharing a habitat with bald eagle Dianne, who lost her original companion in May 2020.
“The EcoTarium is thrilled to exhibit two of North America’s native eagle species side by side,” said Zoological Manager Rachel Davison, “and we are excited that she will get a special welcome with a name contribution by the community.”
The EcoTarium has come up with three possibilities — Cora, Nyx or Valkyrie — and, for a small donation, the public can vote online at https://ecotarium.org/golden-eagle-naming/. Voting will remain open until July 2, and the winner will be announced on July 4 at 2 p.m. at the EcoTarium.
Despite an apparent lack of injuries, the golden eagle was deemed unreleasable due to her inability to fly and habituation to humans. The majority of the wildlife at the EcoTarium is made up of animals in similar situations, so the eagle will join them in acting as ambassadors to raise awareness for their species.
Golden eagles are most common in western North America, preferring habitats of open or semi-open grassland where they can hunt their primary prey of small to medium mammals such as rabbits, hares, prairie dogs and marmots. However, they are capable of taking much larger prey such as deer, coyotes and even bighorn sheep.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Birds of a feather — EcoTarium welcomes Golden Eagle and seeks a name
