Auburn Eagle Wows Crowds Beyond Jordan-Hare
By T. Jensen Lacey
The American eagle. Its history seems to be blended into every patriot’s DNA. This raptor (bird of prey) represents courage, wisdom, strength and determination. It’s also our national bird.
This year – our semiquincentennial – American pride is showing itself in a variety of ways and in celebrations across the U.S. For some of those celebrations, the proverbial star of the show is from Alabama.
Specifically, the star is from Auburn University’s Raptor Center (AURC). For among those raptors at the AURC, one — an American bald eagle — has been the highlight of patriotic celebrations, in the form of gloved meet-and-greets at special events commemorating America’s 250th anniversary of independence.
The AURC has made these things possible. Since opening its doors in 1972, the Center has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of birds of prey, including a variety of owls, eagles, falcons, hawks and vultures.
Most of these injured birds have been released back to the wild once their treatment and rehabilitation period is over. Some, on the other hand, become “imprinted,” which means they have become accustomed to being around and handled by humans and can no longer survive on
their own.
Once they become non-releasable they may be assessed for eligibility as an educational ambassador in other programs similar to the AURC.
“The American eagle especially was on the brink of extinction when the Center first opened its doors in 1972,” says Dr. Robyn Miller, director of the AURC. “At that time, with the broad use of such insecticides as DDT, there were only a few hundred nesting eagle pairs in the entire United States. Now, with newer government restrictions and more conservation laws in place, the eagle and other raptors have made a comeback. I’m so glad that Auburn and the AURC could be a part of that.”
‘Indy’ takes a different kind of flight
Miller tells of some of the events the eagles have taken part in this year. “This past July 3, we took our American bald eagle, Independence (affectionately referred to as “Indy”) to Independence Hall (in Philadelphia) for a gloved meet-and-greet mingle,” she says, and the excitement was evident in her voice.
“It was incredible. Philly welcomed us with open arms and we were able to ensure that our national living symbol, and one of our greatest conservation success stories, was grounded in our 250th celebration of this country.”
She continued: “We flew via Delta Airlines, which allowed Indy to fly coach class in her cage. We got to meet the staff of Independence National Historical Park and were able to connect with more people and educate them about bald eagles.”
Miller says there was a lot of preparation to take one American bald eagle on a trip to one of these events. “To go out of state with an ambassador bald eagle included getting permits from Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to ensure we’re adhering to all the strict standards and best practices for handling these raptors. Indy is still a wild animal, and we had to adhere to the regulations and the highest standards of welfare (for the bird).”
Indy first joined the team in 2018 after a stint at a rehabilitation clinic in Florida because of a wing injury, Miller says. “She imprinted on humans, making it where she couldn’t be released back into the wild. She had her first official pre-game flight at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2021.”
Miller emphasized the impact of taking part in and bringing the AURC’s ambassador eagle to America’s 250th celebration. “Indy’s presence at the America 250 Time Capsule Dedication was an invitation to our national community to join us in recalling the bald eagle’s role in our history and in celebrating them as one of our nation’s conservation success stories,” she says. “After all, protecting our wildlife for the next 250 years is one of the most patriotic endeavors we can pursue.”
For more on the center, its birds of prey, events and activities, fly on over to Auburn.edu/raptor.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF “WAR EAGLE”
The very first eagle to fly over Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn was in the year 2000, and that eagle’s name was Tiger. Two others that have done the pre-game flight are Nova and Spirit. As of 2026, five golden eagles have represented Auburn as part of the pre-game flight. “Our latest eagle, Spirit, retired in 2021 and Indy took over her role in the flights,” Miller says. “Aurea, War Eagle VIII, is our current War Eagle. She made her debut flight in 2018.”
This tradition has its roots from a legend going back to the American Civil War. There was a Civil War veteran who had found an injured eagle on a battleground. He is said to have taken it home and nursed it to health (a practice which is illegal today). He and that eagle were both regulars at Auburn football games. The story goes that, during one game in 1892, Auburn was losing to Georgia, but history took a turn for the Auburn Tigers when the eagle, with its six-foot wingspan, suddenly took off in a flight over the field. The fans became ablaze with excitement and saw Auburn defeating Georgia, coming from behind, with the team boosted on by fans’ shouts of “Look! It’s the war eagle!”
Today, the raptor handlers first begin training the birds in an empty stadium before having them fly pre-game in a stadium full of fans. It is truly something to witness, especially when the birds swoop down for their edible rewards. There are quite a few videos of the eagles’ training on YouTube.
