Frisky Wis. eagle injures leg in courtship ritual

Associated Press

WAUSAU, Wis. — A bald eagle that was injured in a courtship ritual in Wausau is now recovering at a bird-rehabilitation center.

Wausau police Lt. Matt Barnes says bystanders watched two male eagles spar for the attention of a female Friday afternoon. The two males crashed to the ground. One flew away while the other stayed down with an apparent broken leg.

Barnes says the eagle was in a panicked state on the sidewalk. A bystander told him that putting a blanket over birds will calm them down, so Barnes and the woman did just that with two police blankets. The move worked, as the eagle eventually settled down.

A Wausau Daily Herald report (http://wdhne.ws/HyTZOr ) says the Raptor Education Group Inc. took the bird to Antigo for care.