Only 50 percent of eaglets reach one year of age. Some die from falls, starvation, or siblicide.
Once fledged, many eagles die from impact injuries, starvation, disease, shooting, poisoning, and electrocution.
Lead poisoning is a common cause of injury and is most often fatal. Bald Eagles can get lead poisoning from gut piles left behind by hunters, who assume other animals appreciate the leftovers. However, the smallest fragments of lead bullets in the gut pile are enough to cause severe neurological issues or kill an eagle within days.
The Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota has found that about 25-28% of eagles admitted for rehabilitation in the last forty years have had lead in their system.