Beheaded bald eagle found in Louisiana ditch
By Associated Press
Apr 5, 2011 6:49 PM CDT

Wildlife officials believe a bald eagle was shot and then beheaded in northeast Louisiana, and they are offering a $2,000 reward for information about the crime.

Officials believe the eagle was shot a couple of days before it was found Sunday in a ditch in Franklin Parish.

Capt. Alan Bankston of the Louisiana wildlife agency says the bird's talons, wings and tail feathers were intact.

It's at least the fifth bald eagle killed this year. Bald eagles have also been shot in Iowa, North Carolina and two were killed in Tennessee.

A conviction for killing or beheading a bald eagle could bring up to a $250,000 fine and two years in prison.