Someone sign this bald eagle up for the 100 meter butterfly.
It’s not everyday that you get to see a bald eagle in action like this. Fortunately for some people on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin, they were in the right place at the right time to witness the large bird successfully capture a large carp, and then somewhat successfully (it struggled, but eventually made it) drag it to the shore.
If you didn’t know, there’s not much that our nation’s bird won’t go after. The predatory birds are very opportunistic and will hunt anything that it feels as though it could haul off. That usually means that bald eagles prey on smaller mammals (like squirrels) and transportable fish. Much like we humans can sometimes have eyes bigger than our stomach, even the majestic bald eagle can occasionally bite off more than they can chew, so to speak.
Typically, a bald eagle’s menu consists of both big and small items. They’ll go for things as tiny as little yappy dogs, and in the right conditions, they’ll try to tackle something as big as a deer. Rarely ever do the eagle-eyed birds of prey have trouble hunting something down… it’s just picking that something up that can complicate things.
It’s believed that bald eagles can lift prey as heavy as three to four pounds with no problem at all. When their future meals get heavier than that, the iconic bird can run into issues. One thing that bald eagles can utilize to pick heavier things up is momentum. Swooping down out of the air at a high speed and lifting right back up into the sky sometimes allows for bald eagles to have more in tow.
However, they can’t always do that when they need to secure their catch – like the bald eagle in this video that decided to snatch up a 20-pound carp. As you’ll see, the large bird overestimated its ability to get the creature out of the water once it used its razor-sharp talons to secure it. That being said, it had the fish locked into the death grip of its talons, and set its eyes on the nearby shoreline.
As you’ll see, the predatory bird opted for an impressive butterfly-style stroke as it dragged its still-very-much-alive catch over to the shore. And the people watching from the window could barely believe it, saying:
“Oh my God. See it? That is insane. He’s still alive… see him flapping?”
You might as well give this bald eagle a gold medal for this makeshift triathlon. The thing went on through the air, land, and water to secure a carp that was as big as it was. I never really knew that eagles could break out an Olympic style swimming stroke, but hey… just another reason why our national bird is so impressive.
The whole thing almost brings a tear to your eye, seeing the circle of life play out in such badass fashion. The bird utilized its literal “eagle eyed” vision to track down the big fish swimming beneath the surface, and though it couldn’t fly off with it as it likely originally intended to, it adapted and overcame the issue like a true American would.
The post’s caption gave a little more information as to how the bald eagle handled the fish after it towed it all the way to the dinner table:
“A bald eagle was seen pulling a large carp onto the shore. It had been swimming across the lake with about a 20-pound fish clutched in its talons, using powerful strokes to reach land. Once on shore, it spent hours feeding and even returned the next morning to finish its meal. The sight surprised nearby cabin visitors, who initially thought the eagle might be injured until they realized it was transporting prey.”
