5 Eagles that Can Pick & Carry Human Toddler Away

The thought that a large bird could swoop down and carry your infant away may seem like the stuff of nightmares.

But in rare cases, there have been large birds known to have carried away animals that are larger than babies and tiny toddlers.

Although the chances of having your baby snatched away by a giant bird are slim, it does pay to know that it is a possibility.

5 Eagles that Can Pick Up a Toddler

Eagles are among the largest birds, and their predatory nature makes them the most likely to go after your baby or toddler.

What follows are five types of eagles that have the size and strength to do the job.

1- African Crowned Eagle

From the continent of Africa, this eagle is known as the “leopard of the air” because of its sheer size and willingness to attack animals that weigh upwards of 65 pounds.

They usually feed on monkeys and moderately sized animals such as the Cape hyrax.

They are also the only eagle that has killed human babies and toddlers.

However, that is based on one report of a human skull found in a nest in South Africa back in 1924.

So, the chances of it attacking humans are minute at best.

2- Golden Eagles

While most people associate Bald Eagles with North America, the golden eagle is larger and more threatening.

A fully grown golden eagle is up to 33” long, has a wingspan of 78”, and weighs upwards of 14 pounds.

While golden eagles mainly feed on marmots, squirrels, and hares, they have been known to snatch foxes, deer, and livestock.

Although more than powerful enough to carry away a small child, there is no record of any golden eagle attacking an adult or taking away a baby or toddler.

3- Harpy Eagle

This may be the most dangerous as well as powerful of all eagles.

They can reach 42” in length, weigh up to 20 pounds, and have a wingspan of up to 84”.

Their majestic appearance is the combination of their size and beautiful plumage around the head.

They generally eat monkeys and sloths, which weigh up to 20 pounds. However, whether they eat humans after capturing and killing them is still dubious and unclear.

The harpy eagle is certainly powerful enough to carry off a baby or small toddler, but that has never been recorded if it has happened.

4- Martial Eagle

Nearly as giant as the golden eagle, the martial eagle is the largest eagle on the continent of Africa.

It weighs nearly 14 pounds, has a wingspan of nearly 84”, and can be up to 32” long.

Its prey is any tiny animal ranging from monkeys, lambs, cats, jackals, and even goats.

The talons alone could break the arm of an adult male.

But much like the golden eagle, there has never been a report of one that has either attacked an adult or carried away a child.

5- Sea Eagle

You can find sea eagles in Russia along with Japan.

They can grow quite large with a length of 40”, a wingspan of 84”, and a weight of about 20 pounds.

As the name suggests, they mainly feed on fish.

Although they have been known to go after small seals.

As far as humans go, there is no record of them attacking either an adult or carrying away a kid.

What Attracts Eagles to Your Backyard?

Eagles prove to be great birds that many people train for a variety of reasons.

However, they might not be so great if you’re running a farm or have small animals in your yard.

So, what can you do to ensure that eagles don’t make their way to your yard?

But first thing’s first, what is attracting eagles to your yard? Well, this can be anything.

Whether you have small animals around, crops growing, a multitude of rodents in the yard, or even bird feeders, you’re giving an open invitation to all the eagles out there.

A lack of controls in your yard will eventually lead to more eagles. 

So, what can you do to scare them away?

In the next section, let’s take a look at some of the various situations that you can work on to keep eagles away from your premises!

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Tips for Keeping Eagles Away from Your Children

Are you tired of the number of eagles taking a trip to your yard?

They may come if they see small children playing around. So, we have how to keep eagles away from children in your outdoor area.

It’s not easy to have kids running/playing around outdoors, especially with such predators on the loose.

Let’s take a look at what you can do to keep eagles away from your children. 

a) Create a cover

The first and the easiest answer for you is getting a shade or cover for them.

This works great since you can keep them in an enclosure while they play outside, away from the pesky eagles.

Not only will this assure you, but your children will also feel at ease like this. 

b) Eagle deterrent

You can next build a fence around your yard, prune branches, and avoid keeping large bird feeders in your yard.

This will surely limit the number of eagles entering your yard daily.

Also, you will find that doing all of these things will not take too much of your time. So, you can easily get this done for your yard. 

c) Add scarecrows to the area

You can also add scarecrows to the area surrounding the children.

But does this work? Well, you will have to be smart about this.

If you do not add a moving element to this, then you will find that eagles will quickly understand that the scarecrow won’t do anything to them.

Instead, attach a plastic bag or anything that will move from time to time, keeping the eagles away. 

d) Get some shiny things on display

What distracts birds the most? Shiny objects!

You should try adding a bunch of shiny and small objects to keep eagles away from your kids.

Place a few foils or similar items close to where your kids like to play to see the ultimate result. 

e) Scare them with sound

You can easily scare them by adding loud sounds in your yard. Make use of YouTube for carrying out this operation.

Moreover, you can add fake predators to the area with some movement function so that you can scare them away.

If nothing works, then you can physically scare them away yourself.

f) Go for guard dogs

If you already have large dogs in your home, then this works perfectly for you.

However, you can also easily get guard dogs to keep your kids free from the wrath of eagles.

These dogs will not play with them but will also protect your children once you train them on how to go about this.

This is a tried and tested method and will help keep your kids safe. 

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How Can You Keep Them Away from Pets & Bird Feeders?

Another problem arises when you’re trying to keep your small pet safe outdoors.

While they may not be staying outdoors at all times, you’d still want to let them out to enjoy their time.

How can you do this while ensuring they are free from eagles, hawks, and black kites?

a) Add an outdoor playpen for small pets

Playpens for small animals such as cats and dogs are largely available through different vendors.

You will have no trouble getting these. However, this doesn’t always certify that your small pets will be safe.

You will have to supervise their time in the playpen to ensure their safety, as there is a risk of them finding their way out of the playpens. 

b) Groom trees and remove branches

Limit the number of eagles showing up by pruning the branches.

This way, they will have no place to sit and observe your small pets.

The fewer branches there are, the fewer places they have to nest and attack your small animals in your yard.

c) Get a cage for feeders

One of the main reasons why you might be seeing too many eagles is because of the feeder you may have. 

In case you cannot change the feeders for the birds, then you can easily add a cage surrounding the feeder.

This will give access to only small birds while keeping larger birds such as eagles away from the area.

This works great for people wanting an area free of eagles. 

d) Change the size of the bird feeders

If you’re using a large feeder, then no doubt you are attracting eagles since they fit the large-bird category.

You want to make sure you avoid this by replacing your bird feeders with a smaller version.

This will largely solve the eagles invading the feeders you set out for small birds. 

The Conclusion – can an eagle carry a human being

Although there is not much evidence of eagles carrying off small kids, they can easily pick and fly off with four to five pounds.

So it’s good to be cautious when they are around – to avoid any injury.

While many people wish to limit the number of eagles around their premises, eliminating their presence can be harmful as well.

They help you control the pests in your yard, so make sure you don’t go too hard trying to keep them away. 

Keep them far from places where it is essential and bring them close to locations that have too many pests around.

This will balance off things.

So, you will have a clean yard with no damage to your children, animals, and produce while also limiting the number of eagles that drop by!