This Curious Eagle Stole a Video Camera And Filmed Its Bird’s-Eye View of the World
A feathery theif scooped up a wildlife video camera and took it on a 70-odd-mile ride
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The video camera went missing soon after the wildlife rangers set it up back in May. They assumed it had fallen into the water: they had set it up to record the comings and goings of crocodiles in a remote region in northwest Australia. But then they re-discovered it and watched the footage of what really happened.
A curious sea eagle had scooped up the camera and taken it on a 70-odd-mile ride, the Associated Press reports. Audubon gives some insight into the bird behind the lens:
The camera-crook [who makes a nice cameo around 00:37] is likely a white-bellied sea eagle, says Kenn Kaufman, creator of the Kaufman Field Guide series and an Audubonfield editor. This large raptor is a territorial and opportunistic predator. When not embarking on accidental film projects, these eagles typically use their talons to capture fish, ducks, rabbits, carrion, and reptiles like the Australian water dragon.
From now on, the rangers told AP, they will bolt down their field equipment.
More from Smithsonian.com:
A Wild Golden Eagle Can Take Down a Deer Just as Well as a Trained One
Wild Animals Caught on Camera
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