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Auburn Raptor Center handler holds a bald eagle on her glove in the stadium — AURC Assistant Director Amanda Sweeney holding Independence, one of Auburn’s “War Eagles.” (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Of all the beloved traditions that college football season brings, there’s one that is uniquely Auburn: the iconic “War Eagle” flight. Just before kickoff, an untethered eagle takes a majestic flight around Jordan-Hare Stadium, capturing the attention of every attendee—regardless of who they’re rooting for.

While the famous gameday flight is a fan favorite, it’s just one piece of the Auburn University Raptor Center‘s (AURC) year-round mission. We spoke with the AURC team to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to train the eagles for their famous flight—and their much bigger mission to treat injured wildlife and raise awareness about these magnificent creatures.

How does the Auburn University Raptor Center care for injured birds of prey?

Crowd seated on stone tiered seating watches handlers in a grassy arena near a wooden Raptor observation tower — The AURC hosts educational programs on Fridays before home football games. (Auburn University)

Founded more than half a century ago, the AURC is a rehabilitation, education and conservation center dedicated to wild birds of prey native to Alabama and the Southeast. Each year, the AURC team—consisting of specially-trained raptor rehabilitators, veterinarians and other experts—cares for hundreds of hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, kites and vultures from across the Southeast.

“The Raptor Center is a crucial service for those wild raptors. Many of them come to our care due to human causes and we are able to give them a second chance at life in the wild. This is a record-setting year for the AURC; we’re already past 300 patients this year.”
Dr. Robyn Miller, Director, Auburn University Raptor Center

When a new bird arrives at the AURC, the rehabilitation team’s first job is to determine what’s wrong. The team conducts an exam and diagnostic testing before developing a treatment plan tailored to the bird’s injuries.

“The most common injuries we see are due to birds being hit by cars—for example, the barred owl tends to hunt at dusk, which places that species at odds against drivers on the road. And, since raptors aren’t the best nest-builders, we often admit fledglings that have fallen from their nests and picked up an injury on the way down.”
Stephanie Kadletz, Assistant Director of Raptor Rehabilitation, Auburn University Raptor Center

A bald eagle spreads its wings taking flight from a carrier crate as onlookers watch and film the release — The AURC team recently released a bald eagle after a year-long rehabilitation effort. (Auburn University)

Occasionally, the Raptor Center team is faced with patients who require extensive rehabilitation. In 2025, the Raptor Center admitted an injured bald eagle who had suffered two wing fractures, shotgun pellet injuries and lead poisoning. After nearly a year of treatment—including complications from a refractured wing—the eagle was successfully released back into the wild.

“It was a very long rehabilitation process; luckily, we have a whole team at the College of Veterinary Medicine that were able to step in, help with the rehabilitation and get her back out into the wild. Returning any individual bird—be it a bald eagle or a red-tailed hawk—back into the wild population is a massive win for us and for that species’ population.”
Stephanie Kadletz, Assistant Director of Raptor Rehabilitation, Auburn University Raptor Center

What should you do if you find an injured, orphaned or sick raptor? Visit the AURC website for the full breakdown.

How does the Raptor Center train birds for the “War Eagle” flight?

An eagle soars over a packed soccer stadium at sunset, with the scoreboard showing a 0-0 tie — Aurea flies before the Argentina-Iceland pre-World Cup soccer friendly; her first flight before a non-football event at Auburn. (Auburn University)

For more than 25 years, the team and volunteers at the Auburn University Raptor Center have trained each of the five eagles that have performed live flights at Jordan-Hare Stadium for Auburn home games, the Iron Bowl and—recently—a pre-World Cup friendly between Argentina and Iceland.

According to Director Dr. Robyn Miller, the training process is built around three things: trust, positive reinforcement and consistency.

“We start with short activities to build trust and gradually work towards short, tethered flights across a field. Once we see that they are responding to our commands, we’ll cut the tether and allow them to fly in the stadium from gradually higher points until they’re ready for a gameday flight.”
Dr. Robyn Miller, Director, Auburn University Raptor Center

Close-up of a bald eagle with white head and dark brown feathers, perched inside a stadium — Independence—known affectionately as Indy—is one of Auburn’s two “War Eagles.” (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

In the months leading up to football season, the AURC team and its two “War Eagles”—bald eagle Independence and golden eagle Aurea—practice stadium flights five days a week, building endurance and confidence in a variety of conditions.

“[Indy and I have] worked together for years, and I’ve learned her body language very well. Much of our training involves studying how to interpret that body language—even the smallest movements of her eyes—to ensure we know how Indy is feeling at any given moment.”
Amanda Sweeney, Assistant Director, Auburn University Raptor Center

Bald eagle takes flight from atop Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium, wings spread, above the empty seating bowl and scoreboard — Indy begins a practice flight around Jordan-Hare ahead of the 2026 home opener. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

By the time gameday rolls around, the eagles have completed hundreds of practice flights. Still, releasing an untethered eagle above a crowd of 88,000 is no small feat.

“There’s something magical and powerful about the first time you release a wild animal and trust them to return to you. That is the defining representation of the relationship we have. They come back to us not because they’re hungry, but because they trust us.”
Amanda Sweeney, Assistant Director, Auburn University Raptor Center

A bald eagle with jesses on its legs soars with wings outstretched over a packed stadium crowd dressed in orange — Independence soars above the crowd before the 2024 Alabama A&M-Auburn football game. (Auburn University)

For the staff, volunteers and trainers who work with the eagles year-round, that minute-long gameday flight represents years of trust, training and care. But for tens of thousands of fans, that flight is a rare, enlightening glimpse of the AURC’s work.

“When they see that bird flying around, they’re captivated. It’s an amazing experience to watch. Then they become curious: Why is that bird here? What brought that bird into human care? That’s when they start doing their research on the Raptor Center and our mission.”
Amanda Sweeney, Assistant Director, Auburn University Raptor Center

How can you support the Auburn University Raptor Center?

Auburn's golden eagle mascot perched on a handler's gloved arm before a packed stadium crowd — A student volunteer handles Aurea on the sideline of the 2025 Auburn-Alabama football game. (Auburn University)

The AURC relies on the generosity and support of individuals, corporations and foundations to deliver medical care to its patients and high quality educational presentations to the community. To learn how you can help support the AURC, please contact the Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine Advancement team at giving@vetmed.auburn.edu or call (334) 844-1446.

Want to learn more about the Raptor Center and its work with injured birds through the Southeast? Visit the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s website and follow @auraptorcenter on Instagram to learn more!

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