Our national bird partaking in some “fast food” just might bring a tear to your eye. When it comes to scenes that invoke patriotism, there’s been a lot happening as of late for the United States of America. You’re probably aware that both our men’s and women’s hockey team won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics (and played “Free Bird” every time they scored). That alone gets the red, white and blue blood pumping.
And then you go and watch a video of a bald eagle like this and it really gets you in the mood to scream “USA! USA USA!” from the mountaintops.
Seeing a bald eagle always feels special, and witnessing one on the hunt feels even more so. 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 how 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.
In this video, both the size of the animal and the speed of the swoop were ideal in allowing for the bald eagle to carry its meal off. Someone driving in Dickson, Tennessee got the camera rolling when they spotted a bald eagle soaring through the sky. Sure enough, the bird was busy hunting in the winter wonderland, and ended up swooping down and scooping up what looks to be a squirrel.
Was it alive upon retrieval? Or had it already met its demise by the Tennessee highway? I’d probably lean towards the latter, but with the strength and hunting prowess of a bald eagle, the bird could have very easily turned the rodent’s lights out in a matter of seconds. All we do know for sure is that the baldie looks quite majestic as it soars through the snowy landscape with its “fast food meal” secured within its talons.
WSMV 4 shared the video that Jaci Nunnery captured at the end of January in the western Tennessee area with this caption:
“A bald eagle was spotted picking up some food alongside Highway 70 going toward Dickson, Tennessee.”
