Rumor that bald eagles blocked Missouri highway is flight of fancy

In early October 2025, a rumor took flight online that a large flock of bald eagles landed on Highway 76 in Branson, Missouri, and ground traffic to a halt.

For example, on Oct. 8, a Facebook page named Branson Area Breaking News claimed (archived):

Highway 76 in Branson came to a complete standstill this morning after a massive flock of bald eagles landed across the roadway. Drivers stepped out of their cars to film the unbelievable sight as hundreds of eagles perched on hoods, roofs, and power lines. Locals say they’ve never seen anything like it in Branson history.

Some social media users seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events and Snopes readers inquired about the claim via email. However, the story was for the birds.

Searches for news stories on Google, Bing and Yahoo produced no evidence of any reports about a large group of bald eagles blocking traffic in the southwest Missouri town in October 2025.

Rather, the Branson Area Breaking News Facebook account that posted the rumor had a “satire” label and described its output as being satirical in nature. As of this writing, its Facebook Intro read: “We are a world renowned satirical news organization & have received many awards for our breaking news stories!”

Numerous similar satirical claims appeared on the same page. One said that a large group of black bears had taken over the same highway, while another asserted that a ferris wheel was rolling loose on “The Strip,” Branson’s hub for entertainment.

Most of the posts, including the one about the bald eagles blocking the Missouri highway, featured images or videos clearly produced using artificial intelligence (AI). For example, the eagles in the image were oddly smooth, looked more like cartoons and some were slightly disfigured, while two of the cars were impossibly small.

Snopes has addressed similar satirical Branson Area Breaking News claims in the past, including the rumor that the St Louis Gateway Arch was moving to Branson and another that a “trans-dolphin” woman had drowned in Table Rock Lake attempting to live out her chosen lifestyle.

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.