A bald eagle is slowly recovering after surgeries in Missouri, the victim of a shooting that experts say is far too common for America's national bird and other raptors. The male eagle was found injured in central Missouri on July 11. A volunteer with the World Bird Sanctuary picked him up and brought the 7-pound adult eagle back to the sanctuary in suburban St. Louis. Executive Director Roger Holloway said the eagle's upper beak was nearly split in half by the bullet. Its left wing was also injured, and the eagle suffered from lead poisoning. The eagle, dubbed No. 24-390 because it was the 390th injured bird treated at the sanctuary this year, has undergone three surgeries. Holloway said an operation last week was to further repair the severely damaged beak — a serious injury that would be life-ending if it doesn't heal. The good news: Suture sites from earlier surgeries are healing well and so are jaw fractures caused by the force of the bullet, Holloway said. Another surgery is likely in early September. Even if all goes well, eagle No. 24-390 will require months of care, perhaps even a year, before he could conceivably be released back into the wild. “We’re just being cautiously optimistic that he’s otherwise healthy and has gained weight, is processing food well and he’s getting feistier and less cooperative, which we really like," Holloway said. “Because the bird is wild and its got strength and that’s what it needs to have the ability grow the beak back to its functional size and length.” Eagle No. 24-390 is among six raptor shooting victims treated for gunshot wounds this summer at the World Bird Sanctuary. It's a fraction of the 600 or so birds treated there each year — most are hurt in various types of collisions. Still, Holloway and other experts say they're seeing an increase in shooting injuries to the majestic birds that have served as the national symbol of the United States for more than 240 years. Both bald and golden eagles also are widely considered sacred by American Indians. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles, or taking their nests or eggs. Even taking feathers found in the wild can be a crime. In the late 1800s, America was home to around 100,000 nesting bald eagles. Habitat destruction and hunting nearly made the birds extinct, prompting Congress to pass the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940 that made it illegal to possess, kill or sell bald eagles. Pesticides continued to kill bald eagles and by the 1960 only about 400 breeding pairs remained. The bald eagle was put on the endangered species list in 1978. Federal protections and regulation of pesticides containing DDT prompted a comeback. In 1995 the bald eagle's status was changed from endangered to threatened, and it was removed from the threatened list in 2007. Eighteen years ago, Missouri had 123 confirmed bald eagle nests, said Janet Haslerig, avian ecologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Today, there are 609.