There is a very popular bird illustration that I've heard repeated by story-tellers, pastors, and lecturers that I find dubious, but am not sure. The illustration explains how mother eagles teach their young to fly - either by "pushing" them out of the nest to see if they will fly and then swooping down to catch them if they don't fly; or the mothers will place them on her back (???), take off in flight, and then "dump" them in mid-air to see if they can fly and, again, swoop down to "gently" catch them should they not take flight.
I have no clue as to the truth of this, but I find this quite incredulous. I was told by a wildlife expert that neither scenario was possible, but I lost touch with him before he could give me more information. Could someone please point me to an approrpriate resource. I have done online searches, and the above popular story comes up several times.
