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GibsonBluesGuy t1_j92z3ql wrote

I always wondered why small birds would pester Eagles. Then I visited neighbours down the street that have an Eagles nest in a huge tree in the yard. Littered all around the base of the tree were the skeletons of small birds. The homeowner showed me a shoe box containing dozens of cat and dog collars that had fallen from the nest as well. She said these were the ones without phone numbers.

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smurfshoe t1_j9393hw wrote

Theyre trying to drive the eagles away, because their babies be in a nest nearby.

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EzraPwned t1_j93iojv wrote

Eagles can only pick up an animal that's 2-3 pounds so I have a difficult time believing they killed a bunch of cats and dogs. In fact I'd say it's almost impossible.

Now an Owl... they can pick up close to 10 pounds and could definitely get very small dogs and cats.

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Kalean t1_j94rge5 wrote

Oh good, story time. So... That's not entirely true. A neighbor of mine used to have a grumpy old male cat named Kiki. This cat had seen some serious shit. Had the typical anime-scar on his left eye, and a glare that could cow a pitbull. We assume his name was the source of his eternal ire.

One day, a hawk starts living nearby, and the neighbor's cats start going missing. They lock their doors and keep their cats inside, but cats will be cats, and one by one they get out and are slain by the hawk.

Finally, the day comes when Kiki is nowhere to be found. Everyone fears the worst, and they run out back to find a contented Kiki not far from a pile of feathers and a beak. Never found the rest of the skull, or any other bones, mind. Just the beak. Hawk never stood a chance.

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NurseMcStuffins t1_j94aofw wrote

There have been nest cams that caught eagles feeding their babies cats before. It definitely happens. I cannot attest to how common/frequently it happens, but it does happen.

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on_the_nightshift t1_j94kong wrote

They don't have to carry it away whole to kill it. Our eagles seem to all kill fish (live on a river), but I wouldn't put it past them to gut a cat or small dog if unattended, and if the eagle was hungry enough.

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MalHeartsNutmeg t1_j93zb0d wrote

Depends what eagle it is. They didn’t mention species or country, but there are certainly eagles that would both live in your yard and easily carry a dog.

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