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Four years after a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu swept through Michigan, researchers are still assessing its impact on the state’s bald eagle population. The 2022 outbreak caused widespread mortality among eagles and other birds, leaving some longtime nesting territories vacant. Scientists say the species faces a slow recovery because eagles mature and reproduce gradually, while H5N1 continues to circulate among wild birds. Researchers are now relying on decades of monitoring data to understand the decline and determine how Michigan’s eagle population may recover over time.