[rustbucket]

Benjamin Franklin said the following in a letter to his daughter:

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him."

Here is an example of a juvenile bald eagle chasing an osprey with a fish. The osprey had a much shorter turning radius than the eagle and kept outmaneuvering the eagle even while carrying a big fish. From what I could see of this distant chase through a big telephoto lens, I think that the eagle eventually gave up.

[snarkytart]

The bald eagle is an apex predator is is way bigger than an Osrey so the fact it maneuvers quicker is a big DUH! Bald Eagles are badass birds who will kill and hunt but also like EVERY bird of prey will scavenge too.
They mate for life and watching their nest cams for awhile they are protective dedicated parents that take turns feeding and caring for their offspring.
Amazing birds.

[wardaddy]

That split tail on that trout in the talons of that Osprey is indicative it was harvested by that Osprey from a tank farming operation

That eagle is immature no?

The coloring.

[Vaden]

Ben Franklin was wrong about the Eagle. Many people held incorrect assumptions about the Eagle due to their confusion about it’s habits and ways, particularly it’s hunting habits. We now have learned much more and those old assumptions have been proven wrong. It’s time to stop repeating those wrong assumptions.

The Eagle is a great national symbol.