Brazen Eagle Steals Camera – Then Takes Viewers on Captivating 70-Mile Journey Across Australia

SYDNEY (TheBlaze/AP) — We've seen birds strapped with cameras on their backs before, creating bird's-eye-view footage. But a new video shows a different perspective -- that of prey inside the bird's beak.

The brazen bird snatched a video camera that was recording crocodiles in northwest Australia and captured fascinating footage of its 70-mile journey across the country's remote landscape.

Image source: YouTube

Wildlife rangers in Western Australia's Kimberly region released video, which was taken in May, on Monday that reveals the sea eagle's caper. The bird's flapping wings can be seen as it grabs the device and takes off, and the eagle later poses for a selfie, poking its face into the camera lens.

The eagle pokes at the camera lens. (Image source: YouTube)

Rangers set up the motion-sensor camera along the Margaret River in May, hoping to record images of crocodiles. The camera, which is about 4 to 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, disappeared soon after and the rangers figured it had fallen into the water.

The rangers recently found out the device had been found near the Mary River, about 70 miles away, ranger Roneil Skeen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. When they examined the footage inside, the real culprit was revealed.

Check out this clip:

Skeen said the behavior of the eagle makes him think it was a juvenile.

"We knew it was a juvenile eagle because the adult sea eagles, once they get their food or their prey, they usually take it right up into the sky and drop it," he said. "But this one was still learning because he just took it near the cliff-side and he never dropped [it], he just put it down and started picking at it. An adult one would have flown it right up the top and yeah for sure it would have smashed that camera."

The rangers plan to bolt down their cameras from now on, Skeen said.

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