Bald Eagle Spotted Traveling Through Charlotte Airport: See The Pics

Charlotte Douglas International Airport may be one of the busiest airports in the country, but most travelers are of the human variety. Sure, there may be a few emotional support animals here and there, or the spare pet boarded in cargo for the flight, but it's safe to say workers at the Charlotte airport got a surprise earlier this week when they checked in a bald eagle for its flight, per WCNC.

The World Bird Sanctuary passed through CLT with Clark the Eagle to "give his wings a break and fly commercial," according to the official Twitter account for TSA Southeast. Just like other travelers, Clark has to follow TSA rules, being trained to stretch out his wings while being screened.

"TSA officers are used to seeing an eagle on their uniform as they look over their shoulder, but I'm sure the team at [CLT] Checkpoint A did a double take when they saw a real one earlier this week," TSA Southeast said in a tweet, adding a photo of Clark staring directly into the camera. A follow-up tweet included another photo that showed him with wings outstretched as he and his handler were screened in line.

According to the outlet, it's unclear where Clark and his team were traveling, but TSA officials said that, aside from the brief moment of freedom while being screened, the eagle remained in a cage.