A young bald eagle that has been convalescing at the Dakota Zoo since winter got its wings Wednesday.

The eagle was brought to the zoo in November by Game and Fish personnel from the Standing Rock Reservation, said Terry Lincoln, director of the zoo.

The bird, which Lincoln said is likely a young-of-the-year bald eagle, had no apparent injuries, but was weak and near starving to death.

"It was cold and starved and lethargic and in all likelihood a few days from death," Lincoln said.

Zoo personnel force-fed the eagle initially, and within a couple weeks, Lincoln said, it was eating on its own. He said it's difficult to determine the sex of immature bald eagles, and the gender of this particular bird is not known.

Lincoln said eagles normally have passed through this area during their winter migration by November.

"It was probably born up north, and for whatever reason, this was as far as it made it."

For the past two months, Lincoln said the eagle has been working on its flight skills, taking "flying lessons" around its cage, building strength and stamina.

He said the bird has gained about 3 pounds in the past six months and seems to be ready to take off for the wild blue yonder.

Lincoln said birds like eagles that are reintroduced into the wild are normally not banded or tagged, so there is no way to know if the bird survives. But all indications are it's healthy and good to go.

"It's wild and ready to go back into the wild," Lincoln said.

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring 250-8254 or brian.gehring@bismarcktribune.com.)