If you think dating is intense, try doing it at 500 feet in the air with your feet locked to someone else’s. Every year leading up to nesting season, Bald Eagles take romance to extreme heights with a courtship ritual known as “cartwheeling.” The male and female soar skyward, lock talons, and then—because apparently dinner and a movie is for amateurs. Then, they tumble in a full-on freefall toward the earth. They spin and spiral like a feathered stunt team before releasing at the last possible second and climbing back into the sky, sometimes doing it all over again. Subtle? Not exactly. Memorable? Absolutely.
This high-stakes sky dance isn’t just for show—it’s a full-blown compatibility test. Strength, endurance, courage… it is all on display. Can you hang on while cartwheeling toward the ground? Do you have the stamina to keep going? Will you let go at precisely the right moment? If not, you might not get a second date. Harsh? Maybe. Effective? Definitely. It ensures that only the strongest, sharpest, and most committed pairs move on to raise the next generation. And really—how American is that? The Bald Eagle doesn’t just symbolize freedom; it symbolizes extreme dating with standards. The information was posted by the National Eagle Center, and the photo was courtesy of Jeffery Robertson from North Carolina, and proves that in the wild, love isn’t just in the air—it is plummeting through it!
We hope your Valentine’s Day this Saturday is less dramatic than this…unless that is your thing.
