(TNS) — A western Pennsylvania man will avoid prison time after pleading guilty to killing a bald eagle last year.

Rodney Thomas, 51, of North Strabane Township, Washington County, has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but will have to surrender his air rifle and a suppressor, and pay $9,800 in restitution, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Washington Observer-Reporter.

Thomas, the outlets reported, told investigators that he shot the bald eagle in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, in May 2023 thinking that it was a turkey vulture.

Although no longer considered endangered species, bald eagles are still protected under federal laws.

“I want to take full responsibility. This was a terrible mistake,” Thomas said during an interview with investigators, reported the Observer-Reporter. “I swear to God, I thought it was a turkey vulture.”

Federal prosecutors wrote in a memo that the bald eagle “was a fixture in Mt. Pleasant Township and its loss has left an emotional scar upon its residents.”

Some residents were prepared to testify about their admiration for the bald eagle, prosecutors said.

The news outlets reported that witnesses saw the eagle drop out of the sky and then a white SUV leaving the area. Thomas contacted investigators when he learned they were looking for his vehicle.

Restitution will be paid to the Pennsylvania Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Council in Bucks County, the Observer-Reporter said.