2 bald eagles spotted in Tomball after getting entangled

When dispatch gets a call about people fighting, law enforcement responds to try to break up the situation. But local emergency responders weren’t expecting to stop a fight between two bald eagles.

Officials from the Tomball Police Department and the Tomball Fire Department responded last week to a residence on Dorado Circle near Orion Drive after receiving a call about bald eagles becoming stuck by their talons while fighting over food, according to a Facebook post from police.

The birds were trying to fly away, but couldn’t because their talons remained entangled.

The department wrote on social media that officers contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and were advised to try covering the eagles with a blanket.

After about 20 minutes, officers and firefighters tried to approach the birds with a jacket,

including one firefighter who tried to use gloves to help. Just when they were attempting to get the eagles free, the birds unclenched their talons from each other and flew away.

Tomball Police Department

Captain Brandon Patin said the department has been seeing more eagles in the Tomball area, which has been a surprise for him.

Eagles sometimes compete over food for survival, whether

it’s for themselves or their eaglets. They feed primarily on fish but also eat a variety of waterfowl and other birds, small mammals and turtles when these foods are readily available, according to the wildlife agency’s website. Studies in Texas have shown eagles commonly eat coots, catfish, rough fish and soft-shell turtles.

One of the causes of first-year mortality for baby eagles has been a lack of food, according to the agency’s website. The wildlife agency has been working to ensure the safety of the species, it said online.

When attempting to get food, eagles rely on their talons, which could explain how the two eagles’ talons became entangled.

Bald eagles are considered raptors and have a number of adaptations, such as razor-like talons for puncturing and carrying prey as large as 8 pounds, large wingspans for conserving energy by soaring and a dense coating of light-detecting cells on their retinas that help them spot prey from as much as a mile away, according to National Geographic.

When an eagle secures a meal, it uses the sharp edges of its curved beak to slice through flesh or scales, according to National Geographic.

Tomball Police Department Two eagles at a Tomball residence became entangled in each other’s talons while fighting over food. The birds eventually unclenched their talons from each other and flew away.