Rescuing Thunderbirds: For the Iowa Peoples, Keeping Their Sacred Eagles Soaring is a Life-long Commitment

The Creator’s Messenger

This eagle sanctuary was the vision of Victor Roubidoux. A member of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, he grew up on his tribe’s land in Perkins, about an hour north of Oklahoma City. He joined the U.S. Army in 1969 and served in the Vietnam War, where he earned a Bronze Star as well as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold Palm.

After Roubidoux returned home, he learned of an eagle—his tribe’s sacred bird—who had been injured in Oklahoma, and because it was not releasable and no facility in the state could take it, the bird was given to the Pueblo of Zuni Eagle Sanctuary in New Mexico. He began appealing to his tribal nation to build a sanctuary for eagles that would not only care for the orphaned, sick and injured but also provide a permanent home for those who could no longer survive in the wild. After gaining tribal support and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) grant, the Grey Snow Eagle House opened in 2006. One of the few eagle aviaries nationwide operated by American Indian tribes, the Grey Snow Eagle House’s current Director, Megan Judkins (Choctaw), said this has the most permanent eagle residents—more than 50. The facility also serves as an education and research center and provides eagle feathers for ceremonial use by Iowa and other tribal members.

The Iowa peoples were originally of the Winnebago Nation in the Great Lakes region, but some moved further south in the Midwest where they separated again into the Iowa and the Otoe–Missouria Nations. The Iowa peoples became known in their language as Báxoje, or “People of the Grey Snow,” after their village burned—potentially by a neighboring tribe—and was covered in grey ash. As colonists began moving west, the Iowa were forced to cede all their ancestral lands by 1838 and relocate further south. Some tribal members eventually chose to stay in an area that straddles Kansas and Nebraska. The rest continued south before settling in north-central Oklahoma, where many of the more than 900 members of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma live today.

Eagles have long been revered by Indigenous peoples. Both the Otoe-Missouria and Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma feature the eagle, one of their clan animals, in their tribal seals. Some origin stories say eagles were in the same clan as or even may have once been “Thunderbirds” who lived in the heavens. In one story, four brother eagles decided to explore the new world the Creator had formed below. They traveled down through rain and thunder, and then decided to stay. But eagles still “carry prayers to the Creator,” said Iowa Tribe Councilperson Abraham Lincoln, who is also Roubidoux’s nephew and worked at the sanctuary from age 12 until earlier this year. “This is our link to God.”

The talons and feathers of this sacred bird are often reserved for ceremonies or given to a person in a family or community. “To receive an eagle feather is one of the highest honors,” said Lincoln. In the Plains, for example, chiefs’ headdresses are made with eagle feathers. Many Native communities also present “eagle staffs,” wooden poles with eagle feathers attached, to tribal leaders or others who have fought in battle, so veterans often carry them during processions.

Recognizing these cultural needs, the USFWS established the National Eagle Repository during the early 1970s to provide American Indians with eagle feathers and parts. But the wait time for these can be significant, particularly in the case of the less common golden eagle. As eagles molt and drop their feathers naturally, the Grey Snow Eagle House has a federal permit that allows its staff to collect these feathers and offer select amounts to members of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma as well as tribal governments and organizations.

Caring for Raptors

The bald eagle only lives in North America whereas golden eagles can be found across the Northern Hemisphere. The bald eagle gained notoriety with colonists when the United States government declared it as the national bird in 1782. Its name is derived from an old English word,“piebald,” referring to its white head on a brown body. The golden eagle was so-named for its gold head and neck feathers, and unlike the bald, is “booted,” which means feathers run down its legs to its feet. Both bald and golden eagles can be 28 to 40 inches tall with wing spans up to 8 feet, the females being larger than the males. Despite their enormous stature, their bones, like all birds, are hollow so they are light enough to fly. This doesn’t diminish their strength, however. Their large, sharp beaks and claws can tear into flesh easily. As veterinarian Paul Welch said, “Imagine a 10-pound cat with talons.”

Welch has treated domestic and wild animals for decades at his practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before the Grey Snow Eagle House opened, Roubidoux knew he would need a veterinarian on call and approached him about the job. Welch didn’t hesitate, he said, as “these birds are special.” Since then, he has donated his services to treat hundreds of eagles over the years. “I’m like the country vet who works for chicken eggs, only I’ve worked for elk and buffalo meat,” he joked. Yet he sees himself as just one link in the long chain of people who care for these birds. “My job is to put them back together, and their job, if they can, is to get them back out there to make more eagle babies.”

Unfortunately, however, eagles have had a lot of obstacles to overcome. Despite the bald eagle being revered as the national bird, this species was nearly brought to extinction. Beginning in the 1880s, they and other raptors have been shot or poisoned by non-Native people seeking their feathers or to remove what ranchers mistakenly viewed as a threat to their livestock. Beginning in the 20th century, pesticide use—particularly DDT since World War II—contaminated eagles’ food and weakened their eggs to the point that many chicks failed to hatch successfully. By 1963, bald eagles plunged to a low of 417 nesting pairs, and they were classified as endangered in most of the contiguous 48 states. A ban on DDT and federal laws have helped these and other raptors recover. Together, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and 1962, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act prohibit the killing, possession, use, sale or transportation of eagles and their feathers or other parts without a permit.

In 2007, the USFWS declared the bald eagle’s population stable enough to remove this bird from its list of threatened and endangered species. Today the agency estimates its population to be more than 316,000 and growing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that the golden eagle population worldwide appears to be stable overall, but in some countries and areas of the United States —where these birds number about 31,000—this species may be declining.

This possible decline could be attributed in part to a difference in behavior. Whereas bald eagles have on some level learned to tolerate human intrusion into their habitats and typically build their 10-foot-wide nests out of sticks in large trees near a body of water, golden eagles prefer to build their nests on isolated cliffs with a clear view of open landscape. As human development continues to expand into these once-open spaces, the number of secluded nesting spots is ever-evaporating.

In addition to habitat loss, two of the greatest threats to eagles continue to be poisons and bullets. As raptors not only hunt live prey but scavenge dead animals, eagles are being poisoned from eating animals killed by rodenticides—which cause animals to bleed to death internally—as well as lead bullets and buckshot left in animals by hunters. Ingested lead causes severe neurological damage. “A tiny, rice-size piece of lead can kill a full-size eagle,” said Judkins.

The sanctuary staff and Welch have seen a great range of other traumas, from car collisions and storms blowing eaglets out of nests 50 to 125 feet up to electric shock from flying into power lines. Once an eagle is stabilized and quarantined until cleared of any contagious diseases, it can leave the sanctuary’s intensive care unit and join its new roommates in one of the large cages reserved for both temporary and permanent eagle residents.

Welch said he appreciates knowing that the eagles he treats have a place to recuperate already waiting for them. As a veterinarian often dealing with emergencies, he said, “it gives me the freedom to not have to make quick decisions about whether a bird can be given a second chance.”

The sanctuary has 10 staff members along with some volunteers who all share duties. Regardless of weather conditions or holidays, staff must be on hand every day. In anticipation of severe weather, some staff members have taken turns sleeping at the sanctuary to make sure someone was always there to care for the animals or deal with any power outages or other urgent needs. In addition to tasks such as cleaning cages, they prepare more than 25 pounds of food each day. This includes live rats, rabbits and quail on site in addition to frozen fish. Staff also provide enrichment toys to the feathered residents that they can tear up or toss into their pools to keep their muscles toned and minds engaged.

The facility has treated hundreds of eagles since it opened. Of these, 51 were successfully released. Any birds who cannot fly or have other permanent conditions that would prevent them from surviving in the wild are given care and a home at the sanctuary for the remainder of their lives, which could be as long as 50 years in captivity. “This isn’t a sprint,” said the sanctuary’s Assistant Director Ashley LoneTree (Ho-Chunk/Comanche/Kiowa). “This is a marathon.” Those who could not be saved upon intake or have lived out their lives at the aviary are given a cedar burial ceremony and interred on tribal land.

Avian Ambassadors

Some birds who live at the aviary—three bald eagles, one golden eagle, five hawks, two owls, one falcon, one vulture, one crow and a cockatoo—are teaching humans about their species. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these birds were taken to schools or other locations to participate in educational programs. But this year marked another milestone for the sanctuary: it opened its new Welcome and Education Center, which features an auditorium that can seat up to 200 people. Now these feathered teachers can stay on site while groups come to them. “The birds are essentially working from home,” said Aviary Assistant Alexander Carrol, “so less stress on them.”

Yet finding the ideal avian ambassador is tricky. Some birds who came in imprinted on humans can get aggressive around food and are too bold, whereas others are too shy. “They all have had different experiences with humans, and not all of them were good from the bird’s standpoint,” he said.

In addition to talking about each bird’s biology, the staff tell visitors about the multiple threats to the birds in the hope that some might take action to help them, such as hunters deciding to not use lead bullets. “Education is important for wildlife conservation,” Caroll said, “because a lot of the power to conserve animals around the world is not always in the hands of those caring for those animals.”

Dangers on the Horizon

Beyond helping eagles and educating the public about the threats to their survival, the work being done at the Grey Snow Eagle House “gives Native Americans a voice in conservation,” said Lincoln. Although most bald and golden eagle populations may be stable now, each individual may become critical someday. As Judkins said, “We don’t know how species are going to do in the future.”

For example, the West Nile virus, which was introduced to the United States in 1999, has devastated bird populations. Welch still sees eagles killed by this disease. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, a contagious virus first reported in the Midwest in 2022, has had a severe impact on wild bird populations, especially aquatic species. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports a few ducks, geese, pelicans and other wild birds have tested positive for avian flu in Oklahoma—including one bald eagle in Rogers County. While the Grey Snow Eagle House has not yet encountered an eagle with this disease, Rogers County, is only about 100 miles from the sanctuary.

If eagles are going to survive stresses such as new diseases, they need to have strong genetic variation. Since 2012, Judkins has partnered with researchers at Oklahoma State University and other institutions to evaluate blood samples from bald and golden eagles from North America. In this research collaboration, the researchers found unique patterns of genetic diversity within the North American range of both species. This is significant because different environmental conditions within a species’ range can drive adaptations in individuals living in those areas. For example, bald eagles in Alaska are more adapted to live in that environment than those found in deserts. “By preserving genetic variation, we could be ensuring our population has resistance to certain diseases,” Judkins explained.

In addition, wind turbines have been springing up across North America in recent years, particularly in the migratory flyways that are used by birds, including eagles. Wind energy has been a critical component in the effort of nations trying to wean off carbon-producing energy sources such as coal. Yet the American Bird Conservancy estimates between 700,000 and 1 million birds are killed by wind turbines every year. Their blades can spin at more than 100 miles an hour, so while “birds think they can fly through them,” said Welch, “they can’t.”

Oklahoma’s plains are ideal for wind farms. Currently, 44 percent of this state’s energy is produced by turbines, and more are either already under construction or being proposed. Two different companies are wanting to install turbines in or partially in Lincoln County—one not far from the sanctuary. Given that the Grey Snow Eagle House often uses this area as an eagle release site, “a wind farm built basically across the street,” said Judkins, “would have severe impacts on the eagles from our facility.”

Iowa Tribal Chairman Jake Keyes said his tribe is opposed to the wind farms being built and would rather people turn to other forms of green energy, such as solar. “We are trying to be good stewards of our planet,” he said. “But just because a certain thing [like wind farms] appears helpful doesn’t mean it is.”

In April, the USFWS revised its rules for incidental killing or injuring of eagles, including from new turbine projects. For first-time applicants, all turbines must be located in an area with a relative low abundance of bald eagles and golden eagles and must be at least 2 miles from a golden eagle nest and at least 660 feet from a bald eagle nest. How this will impact new wind farms remains to be seen.

In the meantime, regardless of the challenges the eagles are facing, the Iowa Tribe and Grey Snow Eagle House staff are committed to taking care of these sacred raptors for as long as they need it. “We give back to the birds that give back to us,” said Lincoln.

In 2022, the Grey Snow Eagle House received a call from the police department in Cushing, Oklahoma, 15 miles away. A resident had found an injured eagle and brought him to the police, who then transported the bird to the sanctuary. After a few months to recuperate and recondition his wings, the bird was ready to fly again. The eagle was released in August of that year, just outside of the aviary’s education center. Children and other visitors watched as he took off and soared into the sky. This was the sanctuary’s first public release since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“The feeling of being able to successfully release a bird makes this all worthwhile,” said LoneTree. “It’s always an honor to be the one to open the crate door to release these birds back home. It’s such an exciting and emotional feeling. We had the cedar ceremony beforehand, and you could feel the Creator with us.”