11.02.2025 11:40
In Central Park, New York, a red-tailed hawk named R7 drew attention by catching and eating a seagull in the middle of the park's partially frozen pond. This rare moment was captured by many New Yorkers and birdwatchers. The magnificent bird, which was tagged in 2018 and has been seen in New York since mid-2020, had its wild hunting moments recorded by visitors to the park.
The frozen pond of Central Park hosted Manhattan's wildest outdoor dining scene.
Known as "Rover" by fans, a bald eagle named R7 was spotted soaring over Central Park this week by many New Yorkers. The eagle drew attention by catching and eating a seagull in the middle of the park's partially frozen pond.
The wildlife monitoring department of Connecticut excitedly tweeted, "Bird watchers in Central Park recently witnessed the rare moment of a bald eagle catching a flying seagull!" and shared Rover's history in the area.
This magnificent bird was tagged by wildlife biologists in New Haven in 2018 and has been spotted in New York since mid-2020.
The eagle's recent wild hunting moments were captured by many visitors to the park.
One observer shared a slow-motion video of the eagle soaring high against the city's iconic skyline, titled "Bald Eagle Soaring Over Central Park Pond." The same observer noted on another video of the eagle rinsing its mouth with pond water after eating the seagull, "But after finishing its meal on the ice."
Another witness wrote, "I just filmed a bald eagle catching and killing another bird (a seagull?) in Central Park. The coolest thing I've ever seen."
Despite being a frequent visitor to New York, Rover disregarded the city's social norms by having dinner quite early at 5:16 PM on Tuesday.
While it is a rare event for a bald eagle to hunt comfortably in Central Park, the number of these birds has been increasing recently across the country. According to a 2021 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the number of American bald eagles has quadrupled since 2009, with an estimated 316,700 eagles living in the contiguous United States.