BIG BEAR, CALIFORNIA, Oct. 21 (Our California Times) — Bird flu was the primary underlying cause of the illness that led to the death of Jackie, the bald eagle from California’s Big Bear Valley, according to findings released Oct. 14, 2026, by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and its partners. The examination found an unusual chain of stomach damage, blood loss and infection.
Jackie’s life had been followed through a livestream, ABC News reported. She died Aug. 10 after more than three weeks of intensive care at Ojai Raptor Center, KESQ reported.
The findings explain how the virus contributed to her decline and why rat poison detected in her body was not identified as the primary cause of death.
What did the examination involve?
Veterinary pathologists at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy—an examination of an animal after death. The state wildlife agency released the results with the alliance and Ojai Raptor Center, which had cared for Jackie. Her patient number was 26-519.
CDFW said the conclusion drew on the necropsy, laboratory tests and toxicology testing, which checks for poisons and other chemicals. Together, those findings identified highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, as the underlying cause.
HPAI is an infectious disease that primarily affects birds and has circulated among wild birds throughout the United States, the San Bernardino Sun reported.
How did bird flu damage her body?
Steve Kubiski, director of disease investigations at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, described a less common way for the infection to develop.
“In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis,” Kubiski said.
An ulcer is an open sore. Anemia means the blood has too few healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen effectively; sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection.
CDFW said the chronic disease affected Jackie’s ventriculus, the muscular part of a bird’s stomach also called the gizzard. Damaged tissue allowed bacteria to enter her body. Testing found HPAI genetic material in several tissues, including the damaged gizzard tissue.
Ojai Raptor Center said diagnostic testing confirmed the virus within affected tissue and that multiple complications developed over time. CDFW also found severe inflammation and blood clots in the heart and several major blood vessels.
Yahoo News reported additional findings of blood clots in a wing and a kidney, along with abnormalities in the liver and lungs.
ABC News separately reported that Jackie had sustained an injury in a fight with other birds before her death.
Was rat poison responsible?
Toxicology testing detected brodifacoum in Jackie’s liver, along with other persistent environmental contaminants, CDFW said. Brodifacoum is an anticoagulant rodenticide—a rat poison that interferes with blood clotting.
Although Jackie suffered internal blood loss from her stomach damage, the examination did not find the pattern of bleeding associated with poisoning from that chemical.
“The necropsy did not find uncontrolled bleeding typically associated with anticoagulant rodenticide; therefore, brodifacoum was not identified as the primary cause of illness or death,” CDFW said.
Testing also ruled out West Nile virus infection and lead poisoning, according to the agency.
