A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that had been shot twice in the wing is now recovering from its injuries following its rescue by Missouri conservation officials.

The female raptor was found by Missouri Department of Conservation Agents Sean Ernst and Haeley Eichler in a cornfield north of Paris, Ernst told ABC News.

Their attention was called after the landowner called the Department and reported that she had seen the eagle on the same spot for several days.

Ernst added that the eagle attempted to hop away from them since it couldn't fly. Eichler, meanwhile, grabbed a large wool blanket from Ernst' truck and covered the bird.

The eagle was then transported to a facility for the Raptor Rehabilitation Project, and organization spearheaded by the University of Missouri's veterinary school organization, said the New York Daily News.

Veterinarians discovered two shotgun pellets in the eagle's wing, which in turn, broke it. It is expected to make full recovery from its injuries.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is leading the investigation, although they have yet to determine when the eagle was shot.

Ernst pointed that it had been wandering around injured “for at least a few days.”

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits any abuse to bald eagles and carries a maximum amount of $100,000 for any misdemeanor offense under the Criminal Fines and Improvement Act of 1987.

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