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"The Fourth Bald Eagle" is the 18th episode of Season 5 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 136th episode of the series overall. It premiered on January 21, 2019.
Synopsis[]
The Kratt brothers set out to experience the life of the bald eagle. Beginning as unhatched eggs in a nest, Martin and Chris grow with their eaglet sister, but when Gourmand is on the hunt for bald eagle eggs, and one of their nest siblings mysteriously disappears, the gang must also solve the mystery of what happened to the fourth bald eagle.
Plot[]
The episode begins with the Kratt brothers in Alaska with a rescued bald eagle named Sam. Sam is not a candidate for release back into the wild, but he helps educate people about raptors. The brothers use Sam to point out important features that his species has. Afterwards, the two of them wonder what it would be like to have the powers of a bald eagle and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.
In the Alaskan wilderness, the Wild Kratts are ready to make a delivery to a nearby bald eagle nest and Jimmy Z uses the Guinea Fowl Flapper to get a small bundle to the nest. It's touch and go for a while, but the bundle is successfully delivered to the eagle nest. The bundle in question is Chris and Martin Kratt in the egg mode of Bald Eagle Power. This will give the Wild Kratts the opportunity to observe the hatching of two eagle eggs that are already in the nest and explore the lifestyle of a raptor that has been admired by humans for centuries. In fact bald eagles are so revered, they're symbolized by Native American tribes and the US government. Martin then names the proud would-be parents Stars and Stripes as Stars provides some much-needed incubation for her four bald eagle eggs.
Meanwhile, Gourmand is surfing the internet to find that one of his fellow students from chef school has opened a new restaurant and the evil chef is green with envy. Even though he claims to be better at cooking, his illegal use of endangered species in his dishes got him expelled. But, Gourmand just thinks that his talent was "unappreciated" and vows to make a new dish just to prove how wrong his former peers really were. And he knows the perfect dish and species to use: bald eagle egg souffle. The villain plans to snatch every egg he can get his hands on.
Back at the eagle nest, the Kratt brothers who are still in egg mode are waiting for some indication that it's time to hatch. And then, one of the true eagle eggs starts to crack its shell, which means the bros can do the same. Chris is the first to meet his eagle sister as he gives her a big hug. Martin hatched a second later as Stars and Stripes greet the hatchlings. That's when the younger Kratt brother realizes that the eaglet is so fluffy whereas he and Martin are stark naked. Feeling self-conscious and a little chilly, Chris alerts Aviva that she forgot to add downy feathers into the eagle chick programming. The science of bird feathers really is fascinating. Different feathers have different purposes. But right now, the bros need downy feathers like their eaglet sister. Luckily, that problem can be solved with just a press of the paw button on their Creature Power Suits. And on that note, Martin names their eagle sister Downy as the trio settle down for a nap.
The following morning, the brothers wake up and can't help but marvel at the nest that Stars and Stripes built together not only for its warmth, but also its size. Bald eagles build some the biggest nests of any arboreal bird and being very high in the trees keeps the nest out of reach from predators except the occasional gull or black bear. Speaking of black bear, Gaston is about to infiltrate the nest disguised as a bear. But it doesn't take too long for Stars and Stripes to catch wind of it. As the eagle parents fend the nest from the intruder, the branch holding it snaps from the weight of Gourmand, sending him and the eaglet trio plummeting to the ground. Chris, Martin, and Downy are now vulnerable to numerous predators poking around on ground level. Luckily, Aviva and Koki arrive in the Createrra to get the grounded nest back in the tree with a little help the Extendo Arm. Unfortunately, Stars and Stripes mistake the girls as potential threats and are on the attack. Working frantically, they get the nest securely back in its tree. But then, Chris notices that the fourth bald eagle egg is gone and asks the girls if they know where it is. Sadly, they don't because Gourmand has managed to get away with it in the midst of that eagle squabble. The Kratt brothers are crestfallen about the fate of their unhatched sibling. Despite the sad situation, Aviva needs to update the feather programming for Bald Eagle Power. The eaglets can't stay fluffy and flightless forever.
Later, Koki and Jimmy Z cruise on the Hover Bike as they pursue Stars over a lake. If Aviva's going to get the feather programming up to date, she'll need a feather sample from an adult eagle. And since birds typically molt a few feathers here and there, the duo just has to wait for the perfect moment. Right now, Stars is flying over a lake, scanning the water for the perfect prey. And it seems like she has her sharp eyes trained on a bufflehead. The eagle swoops down with her talons at the ready, but the duck dives under the water just in the nick of time. It's not uncommon for a bald eagle to hunt other birds even though they preferably hunt fish. And speaking of fish, Stars manages to snag a salmon and shows off her impressive show of strength as she carries the heavy load. That's when a feather falls off the eagle and Jimmy manages to catch it. Now Aviva can use that to update the feather programming for Bald Eagle Power.
Back at the nest, the Kratt brothers are delighted to see that Downy has now grown some new feathers. Just then, the eaglet trio see that Stars has returned with lunch and Downy eagerly chows down on the bits of fish. Martin doesn't have the stomach for being fed like a baby bird given his experience as a loggerhead shrike chick where he was forced to eat bugs. Chris insists that it's rude to turn down a meal while being an eaglet, but his brother is still apprehensive. But the younger Kratt brother reminds him that eating raw salmon is like eating sushi. It's basically a salmon roll without the wasabi. And just like that, Martin's doubts are out the window as he indulges in the fishy meal.
Elsewhere, Gourmand is taking the dozen eggs that he had pilfered and putting them a special machine that stops incubation until it's time to add them to his souffle. With that done, the evil chef sets out to find some paying customers.
Meanwhile in the Tortuga, Aviva examines the bald eagle feather that her friends brought back. And upon further analysis, the crew sees that the feather's center has branches of fibers with even smaller branches extending from them like a tree. The smaller branches have miniscule hooks and barules that latch on to each other like velcro. Having stable feathers makes them strong enough to handle air pressure when a bird is in flight. Suddenly, Chris calls from the eagle nest in exasperation. After many weeks, Downy is now a flight ready juvenile and the Kratt brothers are still fluffy, flightless hatchlings. Fortunately for them, Aviva is already done with programming flight feathers for the updated Bald Eagle Power and Jimmy teleports Martin and Chris the new discs. After activation, the bros are now as big as Downy with flight feathers and chest feathers for warmth. They even have white head feathers ahead of their eagle sister.
Not far away, in a small town, Wild Kratts Kids Ava and Evan are setting up a lemonade stand when Gourmand suddenly drops in. They're very well aware of the villainous chef and his intentions. And when he reveals his plan for eagle egg souffle with Bald eagle eggs, the two kids are immediately against it and consider calling the Wild Kratts.
Characters[]
Animals[]
Animation[]
Note: Featured animals are in bold.
- Bald Eagle: Stars, Stripes, Downy, Little Sis
- American Black Bear (called black bear)
- Bufflehead (called duck)
- Sockeye Salmon (called fish)
- Osprey
Mentioned[]
Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia.
Live Action Videos[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
Live Action[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
Trivia[]
- Throughout the animated segment, Chris and Martin are seen with Bald Eagle Power the entire time.
- This is the first episode where Chris and Martin use a Creature Power Suit for the whole entire animated segment without deactivating.
- This is the first episode where Gourmand called a Wild Kratts member other than Martin or Chris a different name than their usual name. In this case, he calls Aviva "avocado", combining her first and last name, although this is probably coincidental.
- This episode reveals that Gourmand had a rival in chef school, prior to him losing his license.
- "The Fourth Bald Eagle" was aired out of order; The Bald Eagle Power Suit is introduced in this episode, but was previously used in the season premiere special (originally slated to serve as the finale) "Alaska: Hero's Journey."
Key Facts and Creature Moments[]
- The bald eagle is the national bird of the USA.
- Bald eagles build some of the largest nests of any bird.
- A pair of bald eagles performing an aerial display.
- Bald eagles are born with downy feathers to keep them warm.
- Raccoons, ravens, gulls, and black bears are potential predators for bald eagle eggs and chicks.
- A bald eagle attempting to catch a duck.
- A bald eagle catching a fish and feeding it to her chick.
- Young bald eagles spend weeks exercising their wing muscles until they're ready to fly.
- Bald eagles don't get their white heads until they're adults.
- Bald eagles will sometimes steal food from other birds.
- Bald eagle stealing fish from an osprey.
Gallery[]
