Caught on traffic camera: Bald eagle seen perched above snowy highway

MINNEAPOLIS (Gray News) – A Minnesota traffic camera captured more than just cars traveling on the highway.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation shared video Thursday that showed the national emblem of the United States perched on a rail above a snowy interstate as vehicles flowed underneath.

The “eagle-eyed traffic reporter,” as the state highway agency described, seemed to be monitoring vehicles and road conditions from above Interstate 35 in Minneapolis.

Bald eagles are covered with thousands of feathers that help protect them from cold temperatures and snow, according to the University of Minnesota.

The protection is needed this weekend because the National Weather Service forecast wind chills to be as low as minus 50 degrees in the Minneapolis area.