Watch: Bald eagles possess swimming talent

A bald eagle was recently caught on camera swimming in Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. This isn’t the first time someone witnessed and recorded this, and experts say it’s actually a common activity for the U.S. national bird. The video shows the bald eagle’s (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) head bobbing rhythmically though the water, and its wings occasionally helping it move through the water in a similar action to the butterfly stroke. The eagle likely spotted a fish on the surface of the water and dove down to snatch the fish, but either missed it and ended up in the water or the fish was bigger than it had planned. While there’s no fish in this particular video, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife eagle researcher Jim Watson said it may have missed or released the fish.

Read more at NPR and check out the video below.