Wedge-tailed eagle Storm learns to fly again after lifesaving feather transplant
By Danielle Pope
ABC Gippsland
Topic:Animals
8m ago8 minutes agoWed 19 Mar 2025 at 8:33pm
A large brown and black wedge tail eagle soars in the sky.
Storm the wedge-tailed eagle returns to the skies after 389 days in rehabilitation. (Supplied: Steffi Jurd, Zoos Victoria)
In short:
A wedge-tailed eagle injured in wild weather in early 2024 has soared back into the sky.
The eagle called Storm had a feather transplant and spent 389 days in rehabilitation.
It was a "bittersweet moment" as the bird was released into the wild.
As a severe storm lashed parts of Victoria in early 2024, a weary, winged traveller was trying to make its way home.
The wild weather in February last year left thousands of people without power and lashed the town of Mirboo North, east of Melbourne.
As the thunderstorm moved across the state, a two-year-old male wedge-tailed eagle fell from the sky and came to rest at a water treatment plant at Coronet Bay, south-east of Melbourne.
A close up of a brown male wedge-tailed eagle.
Veterinary staff say Storm had broken wings and was unable to fly. (Supplied: Steffi Jurd, Zoos Victoria)
The bird was discovered the next morning looking exhausted and hungry by Tony Ferres, senior operator at Westernport Treatment Plant.
"On the Saturday morning when I came out to do the rounds, I noticed he was on the ground and I thought, 'Well, that's very unusual because you would only see wedge-tailed eagles on the ground when they are feeding,'" Mr Ferres said.
"He was looking a bit ragged so I followed him and realised he had damaged his flight feathers.
"I think he was starving. He was trying to get a feed, that was obvious. He was very light and he looked tired."
Mr Ferres called the Healesville Sanctuary and arranged for someone from the wildlife centre to come out and have a look.
He helped rescuers put the eagle in the cage so it could be transported back to the sanctuary for assessment.
Lifesaving surgery
Healesville Sanctuary veterinarian Lee Peacock checked over the eagle, named Storm by staff at the wildlife centre.
"He had lost at least 11 feathers and the most important outer feathers during that storm … and he could not fly," Dr Peacock said.
Primary feathers are essential for a bird to achieve flight.
In Storm's case, these feathers were broken mid-shaft.
It can take up to 18 months for feathers to fully regrow naturally, severely impacting on an eagle's ability to survive.
To help Storm, an innovative procedure called "imping" was used.
The process is akin to attaching a prosthetic limb. Donor feathers from a deceased bird are carefully matched to the damaged ones.
"We just glue them together, make sure they are all in alignment and then he has got his wings back again," Dr Peacock said.
389 days in rehab
After surgery, Storm began the delicate process of learning how to fly again.
The eagle flew laps of the round track enclosure at the sanctuary's raptor rehabilitation centre to get used to the new feathers safely.
"A wedge-tailed eagle, being a very heavy and a very intelligent bird, they do get very stressed in captivity if they don't have access to space and flight," Dr Peacock said.
"So we needed him to maintain his flight ability not only for his fitness but also to keep his stress levels down so that he would actually survive his lengthy stay in care."
It was a long journey and after 389 days, Storm was finally released back into the wild.
Veterinary staff watch on as they release a brown wedge tailed eagle from his enclosure out into the wild.
Lee Peacock and vet nurse Chris Stitt watch on as Storm heads back into the wild. (Supplied: Steffi Jurd, Zoos Victoria)
Mr Ferres joined Healesville staff for the bittersweet moment.
"We were all standing there watching him," he said.
"For a while he didn't move and then he did and he circled and flew back over us. It was emotional.
"Not a word was said, it was beautiful."
A brown wedge-tailed eagle flies off
It was a long journey to recovery for Storm. (Supplied: Steffi Jurd, Zoos Victoria)
Mr Ferres says he plans to keep a lookout for Storm on the horizon.
"I'll be keeping an eye on him and his parents and any other offspring."
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Posted8m ago8 minutes agoWed 19 Mar 2025 at 8:33pm
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