Poachers are exploiting the high demand for eagle feathers that are sacred among Native Americans

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — America's golden eagles face a rising threat from a black market for their feathers used in Native American powwows and other ceremonies, according to wildlife officials, researchers and tribal members.

The government’s response has been two-pronged: A crackdown on rings illegally trafficking dead eagles coupled with a longstanding program that lawfully distributes eagle feathers and parts to tribal members.

But that program has a yearslong backlog, and officials said illegal killings appear to be worsening, with young golden eagles in particular targeted because of high value placed on their white and black wing feathers. Golden eagles, which are federally protected but not considered endangered, already faced pressure — from poisonings, climate change and wind turbines that kill eagles in collisions.

An investigation centered around a Montana Indian reservation recently landed its first conviction — a Washington state man accused with others of killing thousands of birds including at least 118 bald and golden eagles and selling their parts in the U.S. and abroad.

He faces several years in prison during a Thursday sentencing and could be ordered to pay up to $777,250 in restitution, in a prosecution that's offered a rare glimpse into the black market.

Another investigation involving undercover agents recovered 150 golden and bald eagles over the past decade, with 35 defendants charged and 31 sentenced for wildlife violations, according to court records and federal officials.

Perry Lilley, a member of the Nakota Tribe in northern Montana, attends numerous powwows a year and says he has been solicited to buy eagle feathers. He said illegal shootings were “absolutely wrong” but sympathized with tribal members who don’t want to wait years for eagle parts.

Eagle feathers are woven into Native American culture. Beyond powwow regalia, they're presented to high school graduates, used in marriage ceremonies and buried with the dead.

In the pending Montana poaching case, the defendant and accomplices allegedly killed about 3,600 birds — including golden and bald eagles — during what one defendant called a “killing spree.” Prosecutors say the killings began in 2009 and continued until 2021 on the Flathead Reservation, home of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Such investigations are resource intensive and can take years, Grace said. That's difficult to sustain for an agency with about three law enforcement officers per state on average.

The case involving 150 eagle carcasses sprawled across several states and included two South Dakota pawn shops, with bird parts bought and sold including in Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming.

“Almost all the information we receive on eagle trafficking comes from Native Americans, comes from tribes, comes from public citizens,” Grace said. “And then we will look at that intel and specifically go after the larger trafficking groups.”

Illegal shootings are a leading cause of eagle deaths, according to a recent government study. The pending Montana case emerged from an area with some of the highest concentrations of eagles and other raptors in the U.S. West.