Are sea eagles real? The science behind Seattle’s Super Bowl team

Seattle went back to the Super Bowl. What is a sea eagle anyway?

By Jenna Ahart Edited by Andrea Thompson

For the first time in more than a decade, the Seattle Seahawks are playing in the Super Bowl — but what exactly? Is The team’s mascot? No single bird is officially named seahawk, but a few different species have adopted the nickname. Meanwhile the live animals in the team’s imagination and events appear to depict entirely different bird species.

The history of the name dates back to 1975, when fans suggested the nickname “Seahawks” for the city’s then-unnamed team that would begin play the following year. According to the government of Anacortes, Wash. — a city north of Seattle that claims to be the original home of the Seahawk name for its high school mascot — the name emerged as a nickname for the osprey because its claws are uniquely suited for catching fish. Ospreys are also known by other names, including river hawk and fish hawk, and they “go out on these long, arduous journeys and have to survive a lot of obstacles,” says Robert Domenech, executive director of the Raptor View Research Institute in Montana. “The Seahawks had to survive and overcome a lot of challenges and adversity to be able to reach the Super Bowl like the Ospreys.”

Skuas, large birds of prey in the North Atlantic, are also called seahawks. The species is known for its broad shoulders and habit of attacking other birds aggressively – perhaps providing some inspiration for the team’s players come Sunday. However, skua are not technically falcons, because they don’t catch or hold prey with their feet, Domenech says.

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So do ospreys or skuas appear as Seahawks mascots? The answer appears to be no: all different types of birds are used in the team’s imagery. The blue and green colors of the Seahawks’ logo do not match any species, with some saying the art instead alludes to the brightly colored ceremonial masks of Seattle’s indigenous communities. An ornithologist noted in 2015 The logo looks exactly like the Sea Eagles, a group of birds including the bald eagle – the mascot of the 2025 Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.

A live bird named Taima can be seen at some Seahawks games, but he is actually an Augur Hawk, which may be because it is illegal to use an osprey for commercial purposes. And finally, the Seahawks’ official costumed mascot, Blitz, has an online profile to look at, but he doesn’t claim any species – only that he’s 6’1” and likes reading, fitness, and bird-watching.

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