My wife is always on the lookout for eagles, and last week we were pleased to have seen two eagles. One flew over our car in Camptown and the second was flying toward its nest near Gillett. Later, in the week, we saw on TV where eagles have been gathering on the Delaware River.

Although seeing an eagle is no longer uncommon, it is still a thrill for the two of us.

My most memorable sighting of our national symbol happened many years ago as I was driving along the Tioga/Hammond Dam. I just happened to glance at the lake and noticed an osprey catching a fish. The osprey took flight with its catch when an eagle suddenly appeared and began chasing the osprey.

The osprey made many dips, dives and twists to lose the eagle, however the eagle continued in close pursuit until the osprey dropped the fish. To my amazement, the eagle dived down and caught the fish in midair.

I read in a book where eagles have been known to also dive down on mergansers that are sitting on the water. The merganser becomes agitated and tries to escape. In the excitement, the merganser vomits any fish it had eaten. The bald eagle snatches the fish for a free meal.

This act of the eagle stealing fish from the osprey and merganser is known as autolycism, a term coined by the British ornithologist Richard Merinertzhagen. The word is used for birds and mammals that make use of man and his buildings; also, the use that birds make of other birds, mammals, reptiles and fish.

For example birds use the hair of mammals, skins of reptiles (snakes) and man-made materials, such as yarn, cloth, wire, pins, etc.

Many times throughout my career I have had farmers tell me that when cutting hay or plowing a field, an animal (fox) or a bird (hawk) would often follow the machinery, waiting for a meal of insects and mice to be uncovered.

I wondered how the word autolycism came to be, so I began to do some research. In Shakespeare’s “Winter’s Tale,” autolycus (meaning lone wolf) is a con artist that roams around the Bohemian countryside, taking advantage of any poor sap he happens to come across. Autolycus does whatever he needs to do to make a buck, and he’s good at his job. Autolycus also happens to be a likeable character because he’s straight forward and honest (at least with the audience) about his scheming ways.

In Act Four, he is also entertaining with his lying and cheating interspersed with singing and dancing. His festive spirit is befitting a Shakespearean comedy. In mythology, Autolycus inherits the traits of trickery from his father, Mercury (the Greek God Hermes).

Therefore, a bird or animal using man, birds or mammals for its own benefit was compared to Autolycus by British Ornithologists. One well-known bird that is famous for doing this is the Honey Guide of Africa. The honey guide would lead either native tribesmen or a ratel (badger-like animal) to the location of wild honeybee hives found in the cavities of trees.

After the hive was plundered by either the natives or ratel, the honey guide ate the remaining comb and honey. The grateful tribesmen set out honeycombs and honey to thank the honey guide.

Birds such as crows and titmice will pluck the hair of sheep, goats, deer and even man to use in their nests. The chipping sparrow has been famous for lining its nest with the long hairs shed from a horse’s tail.

Seabirds watch when other seabirds fly down to feed. Have you ever tried to feed a gull by throwing food on the ground or up in the air? If the answer is yes, you know that gulls will appear from every direction. These gulls were practicing autolycism.

Turkey vultures are often seen soaring overhead. They find their food by smell, which is possibly the oldest of all animal senses. In a 25-year study of turkey vultures, it was proven beyond any doubt that turkey vultures find their food by smell. In one experiment, a dead animal was hidden from view in brush so it could not be seen from the air; however, each time this was done a vulture quickly detected the dead animal’s odor and landed to feast on the carcass. More vultures appeared, not because they smelled the dead animal but because they knew that the vulture on the ground had found food.

When cattle are grazing in a field there are birds, such as the cattle egret, that will feed at their feet, catching grasshoppers, crickets, flies and ticks. Perhaps, you have seen them riding on the cattle’s back.

The cowbird is famous for laying its eggs in another bird’s nest and allowing the foster parents to raise the young. In one article, I read where cowbirds picked up the habit of feeding on insects that had been kicked up by the buffalo herds. However following the buffalo herds presented a problem for the cowbirds during the nesting season.

The buffalo herd was always moving, and the birds could not stay in one area long enough to make a nest, lay eggs and hatch them. The bird’s solution to this problem was to lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and have the foster parents hatch out and raise the young.

When insects, birds and animals are killed by cars and trucks on the roadway, they are fed upon by hawks, vultures, crows and smaller birds. Some birds, such as the mockingbird and house sparrow, will glean dead insects from automobile grills.

Both the robin and the catbird have been known to follow a gardener for grubs or earthworms turned up by the shovel. In the spring, farmers plowing a field are often followed by birds, picking up earthworms and other insects that have been uncovered.

Some birds build their nests where they will profit from the protection of other birds. For example, ducks will nest near colonies of terns and gulls, which furiously protect their nests from predators, and in so doing, they protect the nests of the ducks.

I hope these examples explain the word autolycism. Perhaps, we should just call it smart.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.