Deputies responded around 4 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a suspicious vehicle near the main Wood Duck Recreation area, located about three miles southwest of Stanton, officials said.
Deputies located the vehicle and the two men in a field, where they found the suspects with a dead North American Bald Eagle, the sheriff’s office said.
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The bald eagle, like the one pictured above, was found in the possession of the two suspects at the Wood Duck Recreation area near Stanton, Nebraska, deputies said. (iStock)
"Further investigation revealed that the two had shot and killed the protected national bird in that area and stated they planned on cooking and eating the bird," the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Bald eagles, or Haliaeetus leucocephalus, are protected under federal law. (iStock)
Nebraska Game and Parks took custody of the eagle’s remains and the rifle used to kill the bird.
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Bald eagles are a protected species under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, which prohibits anyone without a special permit from hurting or killing the birds, or taking their parts, nests or eggs.
Deputies cited both men for unlawful possession of a North American bald eagle. (FOX News)
Hernandez-Tziquin and Zetino-Hernandez were both cited for unlawful possession of the eagle. Zetino-Hernandez was also cited for having no valid driver’s license.
The sheriff’s office said "more serious charges are possible" as the investigation continues.