TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Tallahassee State College athletes have long been known as the Eagles, but now they\u2019ll have a new feathered companion cheering them on. <\/p>\n
TSC is teaming up with the North Florida Wildlife Center <\/a>to welcome Sia, an eight-month-old white-tailed eagle, to campus. <\/p>\n Her trainer is the wildlife center\u2019s director, Ryan Reines. <\/p>\n Reines began training Sia two months ago to become an eagle ambassador for the center. He thought adding mascot duties to her ledger made perfect sense, so he reached out to TSC Athletic Director Chuck Moore. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always loved an eagle to begin with,\u201d Moore said. \u201cAnd I just thought what a perfect prophecy to have a live one come in here, and that beautiful of an animal and her physical presence, but she also just has this stoic presence about her. \u201d<\/p>\n The ten-pound bird is a sight to behold in person. Reines said white-tailed eagles can grow to be larger than the more familiar bald eagle. <\/p>\n More Tallahassee News<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is always totally awestruck by her presence. She\u2019s an incredible bird,\u201d Reines said. \u201cShe\u2019s a very large bird and has a very majestic presence. So it\u2019s very inspiring and enriching.\u201d<\/p>\n Reines said much of the training involves \u201cacclimation,\u201d or getting Sia more used to humans and noisy environments. <\/p>\n She isn\u2019t ready to take flight at events just yet, but both Moore and Reines were hopeful that day isn\u2019t too far away. <\/p>\n \u201cThe progress all the way up to today, seeing how she\u2019s comfortable being outside, being around the staff and the athletes, just makes it more exciting,\u201d Moore said. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd now we\u2019re just looking forward to there being more training and seeing her fly.\u201d <\/p>\n The hope is for Sia to make an appearance when the TSC baseball team begins its season in early 2026.<\/a> She\u2019ll also one day fly around the Eagle Dome and delight basketball fans too, Moore said. <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n