With each passing day, the nest becomes more uncomfortable as the mother eagle throws out padding. She then makes loud noises, flapping her wings and forcing the baby birds to walk in the rough and sharp surfaces.

Then the day comes when mother shoves her eaglets from the nest. They fall uncontrollably until, just before they hit the ground, dad swoops down and scoops them up (known in eagle flight school as the swoop-n-scoop technique). This process is repeated until the little guys are able to fly all by themselves.

When surfing the web for information I came across your web page and the following information on: Eagle Lessons.

When eaglets are born the nest is large, soft and comfortable. Then, after an appropriate time, the mother eagle begins removing some of the soft lining, exposing the thorns, brambles and twigs.

With each passing day, the nest becomes more uncomfortable as the mother eagle throws out padding. She then makes loud noises, flapping her wings and forcing the baby birds to walk in the rough and sharp surfaces.

Then the day comes when mother shoves her eaglets from the nest. They fall uncontrollably until, just before they hit the ground, dad swoops down and scoops them up (known in eagle flight school as the swoop-n-scoop technique). This process is repeated until the little guys are able to fly all by themselves.

I understand that you are trying to teach human lessons by providing examples of behaviors in the animal world. The information in your passage is however, incorrect. The adult eagles do not remove the soft nesting material as the eaglets age. The adult does not force the chicks from the nest, nor is she able to retrieve them during free fall. Many wildlife rehabilitation centers around the US and Canada receive young eaglets that fall or are blown out of nests. The adults are unable to retrieve them during their fall or once on the ground.

We get many inquiries about stories such as this. I would be happy to help direct you to accurate eagle natural history information so that the public does not have misinformation about our beautiful national symbol.

Thank you,

Jennifer Vieth
Assistant Curator/Program Manager
The Raptor Center
University of Minnesota