Call it the feathered fullback.
A golden eagle was filmed swooping in on a soccer practice in North Vancouver, dribbling the ball and even taking a few shots much to the amazement of onlookers.
The March 25 video, titled “Eagle tries out for Mountain United,” shows what appears to be a juvenile bald eagle curiously pecking a soccer ball at a practice for Mountain United Football Club last week.
The majestic animal even jumps up on top of the ball at one point, kicking it toward the cameraman.
By the end of the video, the bird appears to lose interest and soars off.
Eagle biologist David Hancock said he’s seen the video and while the behaviour is unusual, it’s not surprising considering how resourceful eagles can be.
“Watching it play football there, they are prepared to explore almost anything if they think it has something edible in it,” he said. “Coming down on that football field, to me, is another statement of their adaptability.”
Hancock, who runs a wildlife foundation that live streams eagle nests in B.C., said he’s never seen one of the birds play soccer, “but in nests I’ve found tennis balls, golf balls, one time I even found a Yorkshire pudding.”
It hammers home the fact that eagles don’t necessarily just eat fish and other proteins.
“They’re checking things out all the time, that’s why they’re successful,” he said.
Hancock estimated the bald eagle in the video is around three years old, and said it likely hasn’t established a territory or a nest.
