High PFAS levels in Wisconsin eaglets may reduce their ability to fend off illness

By Danielle Kaeding | Wisconsin Public Radio | January 7, 2026

Read the full article by Danielle Kaeding (Wisconsin Public Radio)

"A new contaminant may threaten the health of America’s national bird.

Findings from a long-running project have already shown high levels of PFAS in nestling bald eagles across Wisconsin. Now researchers are looking to gauge the effects on their health.

The Great Lakes Bald Eagle Health Project has been tracking levels of heavy metals and other contaminants in nesting eagles across Wisconsin since 1990. In 2023, researchers at Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago began collecting blood samples from eaglets along the south shore of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. In 2024, they sampled birds in the Green Bay area and Lake Michigan shoreline, as well as along the Wisconsin River from Prairie du Chien to Minocqua last year."