KEOKUK, IOWA (AP) -- A tree containing a bald eagle nest was illegally taken down in Iowa. 

An Iowa conservation officer says the tree was on the Iowa side of the U.S. Highway 136 bridge in a tree between Keokuk and Alexandria, Mo. The tree was taken down on Sept. 9th or 10th.

The investigation is in the legal hands of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  There are suspects in the case and charges are likely.

Bald eagles are protected under federal laws including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Even though the bald eagle has been removed from the Endangered Species Act, it is still illegal to "take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit" and ""Take" includes pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, molest or disturb."

The penalty for such offenses may include a maximum fine (for a first offense) of $5,000 or one year imprisonment, yet a felony conviction carries a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years imprisonment.

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