NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. — Two bald eagles recently found dead in Missouri were enthralled with passion up until their final moments. It's unclear, however, whether that passion was of love or hate.
Missouri Department of Conservation Agent Christopher Barnes responded to a report of the dead eagles in a rural New Madrid County field, the department said on its Facebook page. There, he found the bodies of the two eagles with their talons locked together.
"Talon-grappling" is a common practice for eagles, one that happens during both courtship rituals or territorial disputes.
"Bald eagles will engage in ‘talon-grappling’ or interlock talons and tumble down downward out of the sky, typically releasing them before hitting the ground," the department said. "Eagles that can’t unlock from each will crash to the ground together, which was the fate of this pair."
The practice is seen between all combinations of eagles, including mated adults, un-paired adults, adult and immatures, and immatures with other immatures, according to the American Eagle Foundation.
"That variety of participants, tells me right away there is no one answer to what this behavior is for, but rather, that it happens for a variety of reasons," a foundation representative said on their website.
MDC will donate the carcasses of the eagles to the National Eagle Repository in Colorado, as is customary with dead eagles. There, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials collect and distribute dead golden and bald eagles to Native American and Alaskan Native tribes throughout the nation.
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