The cry heard in most films and online clips is closely linked to the bald eagle as a symbol of the United States, but the piercing scream is often borrowed from a red-tailed hawk in sound design. Real bald eagles make a much softer, chirping call, so editors have long used the louder hawk cry to match the bird's powerful image. That swap became standard in movies, trailers and television, and the same short recording style now circulates on soundboards for memes, sports edits and dramatic reveals.