Alaskan Hiker Stumbles Upon 2 Bald Eagles Tangled in Tree in Jaw-Dropping Video

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Alaskan Hiker Stumbles Upon 2 Bald Eagles Tangled in Tree in Jaw-Dropping Video

Despite the fact that bald eagles are both the national symbol and the national bird of the United States, they’re much less commonplace in real life than their prevalence in American culture would have one believe. The American bald eagle came close to extinction in the 20th century, and though their populations have thankfully bounced back thanks to conservationist efforts, you probably don’t see them every day unless you live close to their preferred habitats.

But Alaskan man Kerr Will didn’t just spy one bald eagle on a hike last Sunday; he saw two of them—and in a far more “up close and personal” way than he ever expected. The hiker was traversing a nature trail in Kodiak, Alaska, when he and his dog happened upon a pair of bald eagles tangled up together in a tree right in front of them!

Well… that’s certainly a contrast to the dignified way bald eagles are usually portrayed! The pair of raptors were in a pickle, and Will Kerr was completely taken aback in total shock and awe, as was his anxious ******* Shepherd. The poor dog must have been flipping out: with their wingspans, those birds were as big as he was!

Related: Eagle Dad Causes Home Improvement Disaster While Trying to Add Stick to Nest

Normally, a pile-up like this would have necessitated a call to the park rangers or a wildlife rescue, but in this case, no intervention was necessary. Will reportedly said that the bald eagles eventually freed themselves and flew away on their own, presumably not too badly injured from their tumble in the tree—much to the relief of online viewers, many of whom were upset that Will didn’t try to intervene. Easier said than done: I don’t think people realize just how big a bald eagle’s talons are…

“You’re Probably Wondering How I Got Here…”

Seriously, though, what led these majestic bald eagles, who are presumably pretty good flyers normally, to wind up in such a mess? Without seeing how they ended up in the tree, we can’t say for sure, but we have a pretty good theory for how and why this probably went down, one that was echoed by several TikTok commenters as well: a death spiral.

A “death spiral” is a fanciful name for a behavior eagles will engage in where they lock talons and tumble down from the sky, (usually) letting go before they hit the ground. While this can be an actual combat tactic used in territorial disputes, it’s more commonly done as a courtship ritual for “determining the fitness of your mate,” as

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told National Geographic. A death spiral is a romantic, death-defying dance with the ******, and it’s breathtaking to see—except when it ends with two eagles jumbled in an awkward heap up in a tree. Considering that eagle couples have been found in such a state after their death spirals went awry before, it likely explains the predicament the two eagles in Kodiak found themselves in.

Does crashing into a tree mean that your death spiral was a failure? Who knows. Maybe this’ll be just one of those things that this bald eagle couple laughs about years down the line!

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