# Eagles, raptors attacks on humans **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734 "2016-04-20T15:55:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/21 "2016-04-21T08:42:38Z")
> [@HelenGreene](#): > > Eagles and falcon never swoop down and attack anything which is way larger than their flight carrying capacity, their flight capacity is very high, but still its a mere 20kg approx max. No, that is simply not true. Eagles are well documented to attack and kill prey such as [kangaroos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xElYBEpHiu4)and [wolves](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TItHEUOXCeI) and [deer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPybyQyqJUI), which are way above their ability to carry. > [@wevets](#): > > The largest eagle in the world, the Harpy Eagle, feeds on prey significantly smaller than humans: monkeys, sloths, possums, squirrels, etc. > > It is in no way large enough to take an adult human as prey, and no eagle known is large enough to do that. The harpy eagle would seem to be a poor example, since we know that the golden eagles will regularly take prey much, much larger than that. I guess the problem is that the harpy eagle is designed to operate in closed forests forests. That means that it has short wings, no opportunity to stoop, no opportunity to harass and no opportunity to find injured prey that runs off or falls to the ground. Basically it has to take prey from short range, fast and instantly and then hold onto it. that rules out large prey items. In contrast, the golden eagles operate in open terrain, they attack form a stoop, they will happily harass a victim for half an hour trying to kill it, and once injured they can follow their prey until it dies of its injuries. That enables them to kill much larger prey. Whether an eagle could kill a grown human I’m not sure. If they can take out a 40kg kangaroo or deer then it’s within the bounds of possibility that they can take out a 40kg human. 40kg is within the average weight range for women in many Asian nations. So my response would be that a golden eagle could take out a grown adult under the right conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/22 "2016-04-21T09:26:01Z")
I don’t think humans are the normal targets of any bird, but a lot, if not most, birds are smart enough to go for the head, eyes, and hands if they do attack a human. For the most part they won’t go after humans but if they think you pose a threat to their offspring they will whip out the violence. They can do a lot of damage. Deaths are either from a lucky shot (hitting a major blood vessel, for example) or driving an intruder into some other danger, like falling off a cliff. Parrots are rarely mentioned, but certainly the larger ones can remove fingers, noses, and other large chunks of person, and something like a macaw could tear out a human throat if that ever occurred to the bird. I’ve heard stories about fatal bird attacks over the decades, but couldn’t provide proof any are true. Allegedly, some Asian falconers that fly eagles have been killed by the birds, but that seems to be folk knowledge rather than based on documented incidents. Now, the flightless birds like ostriches and cassowaries have, definitely, killed people on occasion. There are a lot of birds that fly that _could_ conceivably kill a human, they have the natural weaponry and strength to cause fatal damage, but I’ve never been able to find proof that any actually have done so. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/23 "2016-04-21T09:58:12Z")
Golden eagle against deer mentioned above. Falcon hunting deer. [deer hunting with falcon - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_9o5QlN7Wc) Anecdote alert. I’ve been attacked by an owl while bicycling. Came from behind and tried to grasp my Bell helmet with its talons. Another great reason to wear a helmet. No sound at all until the thwak and pull on the helmet. **That was unexpected**. I’d probably still be here posting/whining about my scars if my bald plate had been exposed.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/24 "2016-04-21T13:26:07Z")
Depending on how loosely you define “kill”, there’s [at least one swan who’s killed at least one guy](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/04/15/officials-villa-park-man-drowns-in-pond-near-des-plaines/). ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/25 "2016-04-21T13:30:33Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > I guess the problem is that the harpy eagle is designed to operate in closed forests forests. That’s not really the problem - the problem is that even the largest of eagles (doesn’t really matter here whether you want to use the Golden Eagle or the Harpy Eagle as an example) is unlikely to perceive adult humans as a potential prey item. Most violent human/bird interactions result from the human approaching the bird or its nest, like **snfaulkner** and **kayaker** have mentioned. > [@Blake](#): > > Whether an eagle could kill a grown human I’m not sure. If they can take out a 40kg kangaroo or deer then it’s within the bounds of possibility that they can take out a 40kg human. 40kg is within the average weight range for women in many Asian nations. That’s fair enough. The example of the Golden Eagle taking a deer is a good one - a much larger animal, and an unusual prey item. What about the differences between a deer and a human? The human is much more likely to be aware of the eagle, and human behavior (when to stare vs. when to run) is not much like the behavior of prey animals, and much more likely to be perceived as the behavior of a predator. Last but not least, the human is much more likely to fight back. Human hand-eye coordination is a lot better than hoof-eye coordination (I mostly just wanted to be able to type that) in the deer, and much more likely to cause damage to the eagle (as you say, the eagle had to harry the deer over a long period of time to kill it.) > [@Blake](#): > > So my response would be that a golden eagle could take out a grown adult under the right conditions. Sure, you’re probably right - but the right conditions likely involve mind-control of the eagle to make it attack the person in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/26 "2016-04-21T13:53:53Z")
Not being an expert by any means, I imagine a human would be a lot _less_ aware of the presence of an eagle than a deer would be, and surely less comprehending of the threat it posed. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/27 "2016-04-21T15:04:19Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Not being an expert by any means, I imagine a human would be a lot _less_ aware of the presence of an eagle than a deer would be, and surely less comprehending of the threat it posed. The reference is to a human being more aware than a deer of what the eagle is and what’s happening _after_ the initial attack, not before it swoops in. The idea is that the initial attack it’s self might not kill a large prey animal, but that the eagle (in open terrain) can continue to attack it over and over, accumulating damage and fatiguing the prey until the bird can finally overcome it. What’s being said is that a deer would instinctively just keep running after every attack rather than try to fight off the bird, which a human might be more incline to do and therefore maybe a human would fare a bit better. You can watch falconry videos, particularly from the Mongolia region, showing eagles attacking medium sized prey in open plains, and yes they will repeatedly attack and pursue the animal which is usually desperately trying to outrun the bird and find shelter. They will also occasionally attack animals far to large to ever be considered prey, obviously in an attempt to drive them off. Search for a video of “top 7 eagle attacks” and one of them shows an eagle swooping in and smacking a grizzly bear on the back of the head. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/28 "2016-04-21T15:58:55Z")
There’s a well-made YouTube fake of an eagle-snatched baby that for a while got people excited on this OP. I’ll look around for it. (Good Doper that I am.) Also: Eagle- Snatched Babies band name. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/29 "2016-04-21T16:12:54Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Any bird can peck at your fingers to make you lose your grip on a ledge. So, there’s that. 🙂 > > The [moa bird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moa) was huge (almost 12’ tall!) and yet was preyed on by the [Haast’s eagle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_eagle). The Maori had wiped out the moa population by the 1400s, and the Haast’s Eagles went extinct as well as a result. But I wouldn’t doubt an eagle that could kill a 12’ bird could kill a human. Maori legends tell of the eagles killing humans after all. I opened the thread to mention this, but ya beat me to it - I have heard there is good ethnographic evidence that Haast’s Eagle did, indeed, prey on humans on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/30 "2016-04-21T16:31:47Z")
Check this out: > **[Maori legend of man-eating bird is true](https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1786867.html)** > > Creature that features in New Zealand folklore really existed, scientists say ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/31 "2016-04-25T15:58:35Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I believe it. A seagull once tried to kill me, true story. As part of my job decades ago as a military contractor I would clean moss off of roofs. I was on a flat gravel roof with a garden rake and a seagull kept dive-bombing me. I eventually tried to scare it off by swinging the rake at it as it flew at me but it was fearless. I finally gave up and left. There must have been a nearby nest it was defending. > > My supervisor later asked my why he had reports of a crazy person trying to kill a bird up on a 50’ roof and I had to explain myself. At the time it wasn’t funny. > > But yeah, that freaking seagull could conceivably have knocked me off the roof and killed me if he timed it right. Seagulls are pesky (and a bit scary!) critters. I’ve heard people refer to them as “rats with wings”! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/32 "2016-04-25T16:23:26Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I opened the thread to mention this, but ya beat me to it - I have heard there is good ethnographic evidence that Haast’s Eagle did, indeed, prey on humans on occasion. There are a very few potential cases involving the relatively massive [Crowned Eagle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanoaetus_coronatus#Attacks_on_humans), but they all involve children rather than adults. ---
**Author:** ![Emerald\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/33 "2016-04-26T05:33:29Z")
I feel I should mention [the owl theory](http://www.newsobserver.com/news/special-reports/article10365449.html) in connection with the [death of Kathleen Peterson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Peterson_%28murder_suspect%29#Murder_trial). The evidence is hardly conclusive, however, consisting of a few microscopic feathers and the pattern of lacerations. ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/34 "2016-04-28T01:04:01Z")
Here’s an unfortunate runner who was attacked by a buzzard in the UK. The article includes photos of lacerations on the man’s scalp caused by the bird. > **[Runner, 70, left with cuts after being clawed by buzzard in 10km race](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3562644/Runner-70-left-cuts-dive-bombed-repeatedly-buzzard-took-10km-race.html)** > > Ian Ashcroft, 70, was warming up for the Whitley Run in Cheshire when the bird of prey suddenly swooped down and started clawing his head repeatedly. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/35 "2016-04-28T01:33:06Z")
I suppose an eagle could [drag you off a cliff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9IJGm_PTI) easily enough. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/36 "2016-04-28T13:10:10Z")
> [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > Here’s an unfortunate runner who was attacked by a buzzard in the UK. The article includes photos of lacerations on the man’s scalp caused by the bird. > > [Runner is dive-bombed by a buzzard as he took part in 10K Whitley Run | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3562644/Runner-70-left-cuts-dive-bombed-repeatedly-buzzard-took-10km-race.html) Holy Cow! That doesn’t look pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/37 "2016-04-28T13:19:26Z")
> [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > Here’s an unfortunate runner who was attacked by a buzzard in the UK. The article includes photos of lacerations on the man’s scalp caused by the bird. > > [Runner is dive-bombed by a buzzard as he took part in 10K Whitley Run | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3562644/Runner-70-left-cuts-dive-bombed-repeatedly-buzzard-took-10km-race.html) Ouch! However, raptor attacks are one thing; raptor predation is something else. We don’t know what motivated this bird -it may have been protecting a nest (I’ve been attacked by Canada Geese nest-protecting). ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/38 "2016-04-28T14:59:00Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Ouch! > > However, raptor attacks are one thing; raptor predation is something else. We don’t know what motivated this bird -it may have been protecting a nest (I’ve been attacked by Canada Geese nest-protecting). Good point! ---
**Author:** ![DtypeJag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@DtypeJag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DtypeJag)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/39 "2016-04-29T21:13:22Z")
Try getting kicked in the nuts by an Ostrich – you’ll wish you were dead! ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734/40 "2016-04-30T01:10:22Z")
Also depends on the human. I have seen a human totally lose it and have as much sense as a dead goose in the sunshine when attacked by most any animal so this depends a lot on which human gets attacked. A screaming hysterical human that can’t even gather enough wits to run or even attempt to defend itself is not going to stop a really pissed bird of prey. IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eagles-raptors-attacks-on-humans/752734.md?page=1)