New eagle takes flight at Auburn University

The eagle flying at Auburn University's Jordan-Hare Stadium is one of the greatest traditions in college sports. So, whatever you do, make sure you're in your seat before the eagle flight. You don't want to miss this. It gives us chills every time. 

A new golden eagle has joined Auburn’s famed eagle roster this season to soar over Jordan-Hare Stadium before each home football game.Golden eagle Aurea, a 5-year-old female, has a 6.5-foot wingspan and weighs 7.7 pounds. She was brought to the raptor center in 2016 after being found near Selma, Alabama, with an injury to her right wing. Auburn veterinarians brought her back to good health, but the aftermath of the injury causes her to have more drag during flights.

Golden eagle “Aurea,” which made her stadium flight debut last season prior to the Liberty game, will join the gameday veteran Spirit, a bald eagle, as one of two eagles that will carry on the traditional pregame flights. Aurea has taken part in nearly 400 educational presentations around the Southeast.

Fellow golden eagle Nova is Auburn’s official eagle as War Eagle VII but he has been sidelined since 2016 with a heart condition and does not fly before games. Nova still makes numerous appearances at educational shows throughout the year. The role of Auburn University's eagles is to promote wildlife conservation as a part of the education initiatives of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the College of Veterinary Medicine's Southeastern Raptor Center. The USF&WS permits the Raptor Center to house eagles and use them on hundreds of educational presentations each year - including Auburn's home football games.

Fans in town for home football games can attend one of the raptor center’s programs, Football, Fans and Feathers, at 4 p.m. on Fridays before gamedays. Hawks, falcons, eagles and other birds of prey are free-flown from towers and around the amphitheater, enabling visitors to see these raptors flying up close. All birds used in the programs and stadium flights are permanent residents of the center that are non-releasable due to prior injuries or human imprinting.

More information about the Southeastern Raptor Center and its programs is available on the website at www.auburn.edu/raptor.

For more information about Auburn gameday traditions click here. http://www.auburn.edu/main/welcome/traditions/gameday.php

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