You might think you know the iconic piercing call of a bald eagle -- but there’s something you should know. Hollywood tricked you.
Hollywood tricked a lot of us. The screech many people associate with a bald eagle actually belongs to a different bird -- the red-tailed hawk.
Fun fact: the bald eagle scream heard in most movies and television shows is actually the call of a red-tailed hawk. Hollywood bald eagle exposed!
— U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (@USFWS) January 6, 2023
Honestly, we get it. The call of the red-tailed hawk is pretty cool. The long drawn-out and raspy "kleeyeeeeer!" pic.twitter.com/YW8fcZSMsD
The bald eagle usually makes a series of high-pitched whistling noises. One of their calls even kind of sounds like laughter.
Someone in Hollywood decided their natural sounds weren’t dramatic enough so a lot of filmmakers started dubbing their calls over with the call of the red-tailed hawk.
The Alaska Raptor Center has a great video showing the difference, you can watch that below.
(Can’t see the video? Click here.)
Read: 2 American bald eagles spotted, likely breeding at Shelby Township nature center