Bald Eagle’s Breakfast Crashes Through Car Windshield in North Carolina

A bald eagle’s unusual breakfast landed right on a driver’s car in western North Carolina, resulting in a rather messy situation. This unexpected event took place on Route 74 in Swain County, as reported recently.

The driver called 911 to report that an eagle had dropped a dead cat onto her car. “You won’t believe this, but a bald eagle just dropped a cat on my windshield. It completely shattered!” she told the dispatcher, firmly assuring them of the bizarre scenario. Thankfully, despite the shattered glass and the surprise, she had no injuries.

Afterward, she recalled, “I drive that road every morning. I saw a bald eagle coming from afar, which was surprising since I don’t normally see them there. Initially, I thought it was amazing to see one.” But when she realized that it was a cat that landed on her car, it felt like something had exploded.

She added, “There was a cat in the passenger seat—it was quite messy. Glass was everywhere. Luckily, the cat was already dead before hitting the windshield, and I saw the insides on the outside.”

Kendrick Weeks, a supervisor from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, suggested that the eagle might have scavenged the cat. He explained that while bald eagles can catch animals as large as cats, it’s generally harder to capture live ones. “They often stick to scavenging; it’s common for them. If their grip isn’t firm enough or they struggle, they might drop their prey,” he mentioned.

According to the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, bald eagles typically consume fish but can also eat roadkill. They usually carry food that weighs about one-third of their body weight, or around 2 to 3 pounds, while eating approximately 0.5 to 1 pound daily.

The conservation organization’s website notes that eagles have strong beaks designed for tearing food into smaller pieces, with tongues equipped with backward-pointing barbs to help swallow their meals more easily.