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ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œEvery now and again life throws a curve ball,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� TRACÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s director Wendy Perrone wrote in a social media post announcing the discovery that Regis was really a Regina.

Finding out that the 17-year-old eagle had laid a pair of eggs ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œwas quite unexpected, as you can guess,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Perrone said later in an email interview. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe were pretty amazed.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

A resident of TRAC since early 2011, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œRegis was found in southern North Carolina as a first-year bird,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Perrone said.

The young eagle had broken a wing, which healed in the wild in a manner that rendered it flightless. Near starvation, the bird was taken to the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, where it remained for a year, until funding and housing space for injured birds became tight. Regis was offered for placement at other qualified educational centers.

TRACÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s application to adopt the two-year old bird was accepted, and Regis became a member of the centerÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Ambassador Stable ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” a menagerie of birds of prey no longer able to survive in the wild but healthy enough to travel to schools and state parks for educational presentations.

In addition to being a member of TRACÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s traveling raptor exhibit, Regis has, since 2013, been the official mascot of the during National Scout Jamborees at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County.

Visually, male and female bald eagles look identical, but the females are larger than males of the same age. RegisÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œweight and measurements led us to believe that we had a male bald eagle,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Perrone said.

Regis may be a member of a southern strain of bald eagles that are smaller in weight and stature to the more common northern strain found in the region, Perrone said.

Perrone said she could think of no particular reason why it would take the eagle 17 years to lay its first eggs, when other members of her species begin laying eggs at age 5.

While such events are rare, they are not unheard of.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHootie, our great horned owl ambassador, was 13 when she surprised us with two eggs,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Perrone said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œShe is 18 now, and erratic about laying eggs.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Bald eagles in the wild have been known to lay eggs into their 20s and 30s.

Perrone said Regis displayed no matronly or protective behavior toward her eggs, and in fact broke the shell of one egg and dined on its contents. Since the eggs were not fertilized, they are not viable.

Will the new development in the eagleÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s gender identity bring about a new, more feminine name?

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe talked about that, but decided not to,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Perrone said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œOur reasoning is that she knows her name and identifies with it, so why change it? ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s her name and sheÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s fine with it, so we have to get over our human issues.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�