Kicker: The eagle’s stunt double

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Hear that? Believe it or not, that’s the real call of America’s national bird—the bald eagle.

Science confirms it: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says our glorious patriotic icon sounds more like a squeaky dog toy than a symbol of strength.

So Hollywood does what Hollywood does and calls for a stunt double. Like this car commercial where a bald eagle swoops down for a salmon.

COMMERCIAL: Ah, so peaceful up here (yeah) … [screech of red-tail hawk] … introducing the new turbo-charged Golf all-track …

That shriek belongs to the red-tailed hawk. You hear it all over film and television. And no wonder … the eagle may be majestic—but it’s the hawk that delivers the “top-of-the-food-chain” menace Americans expect.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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