Okay, but what's threatening the apex predators of the sky?

E44. An adult eagle has no natural predators, so why are birds of prey declining? Dr. Todd Katzner, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, explains the surprising dangers facing golden eagles and their kin, from spinning wind turbines to a threat small enough to fit on a grain of rice.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Why an eagle that can clearly see a wind turbine still flies into one
• How a hunter's choice of bullet ends up inside an eagle
• The flap count that tells a vulture whether to risk crossing the sea

All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:

• Bald Eagle audio contributed by Darrell Peterson, ML145265541
• Golden Eagle audio contributed by W. Douglas Robinson, ML612942188
• Golden Eagle audio contributed by Kathy Groschupf, ML57165
• American Goshawk video contributed by Dan J. MacNeal, ML297994251
• Harpy Eagle audio contributed by Curtis Marantz, ML81101
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird audio contributed by Trenton Voytko, ML604314061
• Ferruginous Hawk audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML172487