CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A massive bald eagle recently grabbed everyone's attention at an airport security checkpoint in North Carolina.
On Thursday, Transportation Security Administration agents at Charlotte Douglas Airport met Clark, who is a trained bird of prey with the World Bird Sanctuary.
Clark even got to show off his impressive wingspan while he and his handler were being screened, the agency said.
The agency even joked he was "giving his wings a break to fly commercial."
Our special guest was Clark the Eagle with the World Bird Sanctuary, who decided to give his wings a break and fly commercial. His airline notified us and we screened him and his handler. Clark is trained to spread his wings, and even showed off a bit during screening. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/SMkQAo65aQ
— TSA Southeast (@TSA_Southeast) August 25, 2022
According to World Bird Sanctuary's website, Clark was born at the sanctuary as part of its program that aimed to release the then-endangered birds into the wild.
But the group said that Clark wasn't released due to scale deformities on his feet, which means his feet could suffer from frostbite since they wouldn't be protected from the cold weather.
Since he couldn't be released into the wild, Clark joined the group's eagle flight team, which means he gets to perform at military events for veterans and sporting events, the group said.