Angry Birds Mighty Eagle Explained

Since it’s release on iOS devices the Mighty Eagle has been shrouded with mystery. This article and Q&A aims to clear up some of that confusion.

So, what exactly is the Mighty Eagle? Put simply, the Mighty Eagle is an in-app purchase that can help you pass a level.  But that is not all.  It also adds a new dimension to Angry Birds — in a way it’s a game inside the game (more on that later).

Current Availability

The Mighty Eagle is currently available on the following platforms (last updated July 2013):

  • iOS: All 5 apps!
    Angry Birds on December 20th, 2010, Seasons on August 22nd, 2011, Rio on October 27th, 2011, Space on March 22nd, 2012, and Star Wars on November 8th, 2012.
  • Android via Google Play: All 5 apps!
    Angry Birds on August 8th, 2012, Seasons on March 13th, 2013, Rio on December 18th, 2012, Space on June 5th, 2012, and Star Wars on November 8th, 2012.
  • T-Mobile Android Devices: Angry Birds via the T-Mobile Mall on September 30th, 2011.
  • NOOK Color: Angry Birds on June 30th, 2011 for free within Barnes & Noble stores via Angry Birds Magic.
  • Chrome Beta: December 1st, 2011 (with a free trial in Poached Eggs).
  • Facebook: February 13th, 2012 (with a very different cost/payment system, so refer to its main post).
  • Need help getting feathers / total destruction? We have a bunch of Mighty Eagle walkthrough videos available for most of the more challenging levels. If no video exists for the level you need, you can make a request in the forum.

Important Disclaimer

Foremost, the Mighty Eagle is a separate in-app purchase for each app. In the original Angry Birds, Seasons, and Rio, a 1-time purchase will gain unlimited use, per the Q&A that appears below. In Space and Star Wars, “Mighty usage” is a consumable IAP and subject to different pricing. The Q&A below is not 100% accurate for these “consumable Mighties”, and you should refer to our Classroom Lessons for additional references and details.

Questions and Answers.

After purchasing the Mighty Eagle you can to use it to pass a level once per hour, or, if you’ve already passed a level you can use it as often as you like.   Using it will not yield any stars or points, but rather it calculates a percentage of destruction, with 100% destruction being Total Destruction.  When you do receive Total Destruction on a given level you will receive a feather.  Ultimately your goal is to obtain a feather on every single level of the game.  On some levels this is NOT an easy task.   Fortunately we have some video walkthroughs available for the most challenging levels.

Okay, so how does it work from within the game? After you purchase the Mighty Eagle you have to activate it from within a particular level.  This is simply done by tapping the eagle eye icon that appears next to the pause button on every level. It’s important to note that you can then use it in conjunction with your other birds (actually, on many levels you can’t receive Total Destruction without using them together).

After you activate the Mighty Eagle your slingshot is loaded with a can of sardines. You then hurl the can towards the piggies mocking you on the other side. After which, you wait a couple seconds…then…BLAMOH! T he Mighty Eagle drops out of the sky and smashes everything.  At that point your destruction is calculated based on the damage sustained. How much destruction really depends on how strategically you place you can of sardines, use of your other birds, and on some levels bit of luck. After you’ve used the Mighty Eagle the level selection icons display an eagle graphic to signify he’s been used.

That’s pretty much it.  We’ll use the Q & A section below to answers some of the more common questions we receive.  A big thanks to Rovio for chiming in on some of them.

  • Q. What devices currently support the Mighty Eagle?
  • A. Right now the Mighty Eagle is only available to purchase on iOS devices (ipad, iPhone, and iPod Touch). NOOK Color owners can access the Mighty Eagle from with Barnes & Noble, but there currently is no option to purchase. Rovio has stated many times that expects the Mighty Eagle will eventually land on most devices and come to different versions of the game (like Angry Birds Seasons).
    Update: This list has since been expanded. See the full list above.
  • Q. I am having a hard time passing a level. Do you have Mighty Eagle walkthroughs available?
  • A. Yes, we have many video walkthroughs for some of the most challenging levels.
  • Q. Will this yield 3 stars every time?
  • A. Per Rovio, “Using the Eagle doesn’t give you any stars, but the scoring goes into the Eagle mode. The destruction is calculated in percentages, and getting a 100% Total Destruction awards you with an eagle feather for that level. This gives you a reason to revisit all the old levels again, even if you’ve got three stars on all of them. So, when skipping a level with the Eagle, you still have to come back and earn the three stars in the regular fashion.”
  • Q. How will affect leaderboards? It seems kind of unfair to rank these people higher than those who passed the level without the Mighty Eagle.
  • A. Per Rovio via Tweet, “No effect on leaderboards”. Per Rovio, via comments below, “The Mighty Eagle can be used with the regular set of birds, and this might be required to maximize your Eagle score in some levels (or, first destroy some difficult-to-reach blocks with the regular birds before launching the final blast with the Eagle.”
  • Q. Does this incentive Rovio to make the upcoming levels harder, if not almost impossible?
  • A. No.  This question was asked before the Mighty Eagle was really understood. Since it’s not supported on all devices this just wouldn’t make since.  Also, as we’ve shown above, the Mighty Eagle is like a game within the game, so there is no affect on the normal game play.
  • Q. How much will it cost?
  • A. “The price point is $0.99/£0.59/€0.79” per app.
  • Q. What do you get when you purchase the Mighty Eagle?
  • A. The Mighty Eagle comes with two features:
    1. It allows you to skip a level in the event you’re stuck and just want to move on.
    2.  It’s basically a n
    ew “mini-game” where your goal is to obtain feathers by receiving Total Destruction.
  • Q. Is it a single use item or do you only have to purchase it once?
  • A. You only have to purchase it ONCE per app.  Per Rovio, “The Eagle is NOT one use only, but it ‘recharges’ for a time before it can be used to skip a level again. However, the Eagle can be used repeatedly in any level you’ve already managed to unlock.”

Updates:

12/20/2010: The Mighty Eagle update is available on the iPad.
12/23/2010: The Mighty Eagle update is out for the iPhone and iTouch!
06/30/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available on NOOK Color via Angry Birds Magic
08/22/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available in Angry Birds Seasons
09/30/2011: Mighty Eagle Lands for Android Exclusively via the T-Mobile Mall
10/27/2011: Mighty Eagle Now Available in Angry Birds Rio
12/01/2011: Angry Birds Chrome Update Adds Mighty Eagle
02/13/2012: Angry Birds on Facebook Out Now with the Mighty Eagle
03/22/2012: Understanding the Mighty Space Eagle
06/05/2012: Angry Birds Space Eagle & Danger Zone Now Available for Android
08/08/2012: Mighty Eagle Finally Lands on Android in Latest Surf & Turf Update
11/08/2012: Angry Birds Star Wars Now Available! Try it, you will
12/18/2012: Angry Birds Rio Update Adds Power Ups, Bonus Levels, Mighty Eagle for Android
03/13/2013: Angry Birds Seasons Update Adds Power-ups, Bonus Levels, Mighty Eagle for Android

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Comments (543)

By Markus

Here is some insider info:

-The Mighty Eagle comes with two features:
1 Level skip
2 New “mini-game”

-The price point is $0.99/£0.59/€0.79

-The Eagle is not one use only, but it “recharges” for a time before it can be used to skip a level again.

-However, the Eagle can be used repeatedly in any level you’ve already managed to unlock.

-Using the Eagle doesn’t give you any stars, but the scoring goes into the Eagle mode. The destruction is calculated in percentages, and getting a 100% Total Destruction awards you with an eagle feather for that level. This gives you a reason to revisit all the old levels again, even if you’ve got three stars on all of them.

-So, when skipping a level with the Eagle, you still have to come back and earn the three stars in the regular fashion.

-The Mighty Eagle can be used with the regular set of birds, and this might be required to maximise your Eagle score in some levels (or, first destroy some difficult-to-reach blocks with the regular birds before launching the final blast with the Eagle.

By ERicJ

Purchase it?! That does sound like “cheating”. In the famous words of Mr. Horse: “No Sir. I don’t like it”.

By ERicJ

$1.99 to clear a level?? IMO, if you use the Eaqle to clear a level you should get 0 points and 0 stars but allow you to move past the level on to further ones. That seems like a fair compromise.

By Jokubas Beliauskas

No it’s not cheating when you have it you score goes to Eagle Mode so you have to do total destruction for skip the level like in normal mode for free stars/total destruction( if you are in Eagle Mode)

By Habanero

A better idea perhaps than just being able to buy your way through any and every level could be to allow 1 x Mighty Eagle to be purchased when for example (In Angry Birds Original)

1) One purchase allowed for every 2,000,000 points already scored.
2) One purchase allowed for every 10 achievements.

At least then it would introduce it as a fun addition, but with the playing field still being level… i.e. you have to EARN your Mighty Eagle purchase through skill first and its use would be more limited?

By Lilja

So, I have some questions.

1) You say it comes in two versions Level skip and New “mini-game”. Do you get them both when you buy the eagle?
2) Is it correct that you buy the eagel and then you have it. You can use it as much as you want (except for the time that has to pass between the times you use it)?

If there is a yes to both these questions I think it’s worth $0.99.

Rank: Flinger with 80 points
By rmac (@rmac)

Yes and yes

By Debra

Bummed that the update wasn’t also released for the iPhone for us die-hard Angry Birds fans as well. Where’s the loyalty, Rovio?! :(

By Markus

The mini-game is exactly what was explained before, re-visiting old levels with an Eagle scoring.

The iPad/iPhone builds were submitted at the same time, but after that the time of their release is actually not up to Rovio.

By Lilja

OK, so the mini-games isn’t really anything new. Just a different way to beat the old levels?

So the answers to boht my questions abow is yes then?

By Markus

Yes :)

By Lilja

Thanks! Any news on when it’s released for iPhones?

By Markus

It’s pending somewhere else, I personally have no idea when it will be out… Sorry!

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

I’ve heard the 1/4, but it could be sooner.

By Mark

what about the eagle release for android users?

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

Rovio said next year some time.

By Mark

cool, thanks.

By AlberZeal

And how about this expansion in iPhone? Is planned? Is going to be ready soon?

I CANNOT WAIT

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

Very soon I imagine. Rumor is the 4th, but maybe sooner.

By Ready_23

You can actually play the eagle on all of the angry birds level

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

Yep!

By Daemon Ninja

I have 3 stars on all the currently released levels. I have also bought the mighty eagle so I only have two questions.
Can I now use the eagle to get a 100% eagle score on all levels and will that affect my 3 star status?

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

1. Yes, you can use the Eagle on ALL levels. Getting 100% Eagle score is a challenge though.
2. It will not affect your 3 star status.

By Sweetshrub

FYI. All apps for iphone have to be approved by Apple, which takes its own sweet time to do it. Developers have no control when the apps are available.

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

Yep.

By MDSH

Will we be having a section soon on Mighty Eagle Walkthroughs? Some of the levels are pretty tough to get 100%/Total Destruction on.

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

Yes, I hope to. Been focused on Seasons Greedings and regular Ham ‘Em High 3 star walkthroughs first.

By andyhandy

when will the new levels come?

By neiro

hey can someone please tell me how do i get the mighty eagle purchase option for the Nokia version? I can purchase it in my iphone version but the button is not available in my Nokia. I tried failing levels on purpose and still no button. And yes I’ve downloaded the latest version.

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

It’s not out yet for that platform. Only the iPad and iPhone right now.

By neiro

but didn’t they release it since September? I saw the intro video on youtube and also some posts stating the Mighty Eagle is available for Nokia users since then.

http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2010/09/15/angry-birds-to-feature-mighty-eagle-option/

Or is it just an intro to the feature? If it is i’m confused why they would announce it for the Nokia platform first but then release is after the iPhone version is out.

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

It’s just a teaser. To my knowledge it’s only available for the iPhone right now. Android, etc. coming soon…

By neiro

alright Bird Leader thanks for the info. Hopefully it will come out soon for the Nokia platform because I just can’t stop playing this so when my iPhone dies out I can still play on my Nokia!

By M Junge

With in-game purchases turned off the game gets stuck when pressing the mighty eagle button. The only way to get it going again is to first completely shut down the app from the row of active apps.
Why would I go for the eagle when in-game purchases are turned off? Because I didn’t know that the eagle was a thing that needed to be purchased, I did not get that bit of information anywhere before I was actually stuck with a stuck game :-)

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

I actually noticed this to they day it came out. At first I thought it was the Apple servers, but then I realized I had In App purchases disabled. Most games prompt you that their disabled, but I think Rovio forgot to build in this hook. I actually already submitted a bug report for this, so hopefully it gets fixed. For those who are running iOS 4, follow the steps below to close running apps (this keeps you from having to reboot your phone).

Per lifehacker, “To remove an application from running in the background, just pull up your quick switch drawer (double-tap the home button), then tap and hold on an app (like you do when you want to delete an app from the home screen until you see a red minus sign (-) on the corner of the app’s icon. Tap it to kill the app.”

By J

Oh mighty bird leader I am but a chick. Cant figure out how to get my purchased mighty eagle destructor back. He wont show up again even in the levels I have unlocked and my eagle feather has disappeared on the one level I used him on.

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

The first thing I would do is reboot your phone to see if that might cure the problem. If not, you may have no choice but to email Rovio support: [email protected]. Please report back if you can.

By Eric

Do you know if anything happens if you get 100% eagle score on all levels?

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

I’ve been wondering that myself…

By dan

The mighty eagle adds a whole new aspect to the game. Even if you already have 3 stars on all levels this gives you a reason to go back and replay every level!!! In essence it doubles the entire game!
Right now I’m stuck on level 12-7. I can only get to 99%. Anyone figured this one out yet?

By michel

if anyone has got 100% distruction on level 6-4 please tell me because i completed it and destroyed everthing with the mighty eagle and it only said 77% distruction…!

By Habanero

Yes, must be some kind of glitch on this particular level, I also only scored 78% destruction with a single block left?

Level 4-2 is proving pretty elusive too, but am only 35 feathers short of the 200 feathers mark now, which I initially thought was going to be impossible.

By Ahem

I’m having the same problem with 6-4. I’ve got a feather on EVERY level but this one, and it’s starting to bug the heck out of me. If this is a glitch, so be it, I’ll wait for a fix. But if my measly 81% is a result of me not thinking creatively enough, I’d like some hints.

By Ahem

@Habanero: 4-2 gave me a lot of problems. I finally got it (if I remember correctly) by knocking down the boards with the the first bird, weakening the the left edge the platform with second, slamming the yellow bird into that weakened left piece and then placing the sardine can on the rubble that fell into the gap. It takes a few (strike that, a bunch) of tries, but it is doable.

By Habanero

Thanks, I cracked 4-2 in the end, more or less the same method you described … had had lots of problems with bouncing and sliding sardine cans on this level.

Now have every level “feathered” bar 6-4. Looks like the max given for this is only 78 to 81%??

By ndylan

I have a feather on every single level EXCEPT 6-4 as well! I have played it a few hundred times using every method I can think of and the maximum score I have received has been 80%, and that was with one of the teeny square blocks left and it had cracks in it. Surely this does have to be a glitch. If anyone gets any answers please let us know. Best of luck folks!

Rank: Sling God with 36990 points
By Bird Leader (@birdleader)

All – Be sure to check out Matt’s comment here. In summary, you can’t get 100% total destruction once you have unlocked the boomerang bird, which happens in this level. In other words, if you have boomerang bird you have to wait until this bug is fixed.

Thanks, Matt!

By michel

ill send an email to rovio explaaining the glitch and hopefull that will be fixed…i currently have 181 feathers…so close

By Mike

Anyone get 100% destruction on 12-3? I’m stumped.

By Ahem

try throwing the sardine can straight down.

By donna

cardinal to upper left side of building to knock it over.yellow bird to slice through wood to destroy it. chicken drops egg to blow up and destroy rocks and then toss sardines down shaft to complete destruction with The Mighty Eagle. That worked for me. NOW, who has the answers for game 6 #4?

By Kirk

To the webmaster for this site…Bravo! You have helped me not hurl my iphone & ipod touch through the room! Angry Birds is an awesome game and me and my girlfriend waste a bunch of time playing it. Keep up the pointers and video’s, Kudos to all involved keeping this is true cult favorite!

By Wheeler

I can’t get 100% 6-15. I destroy everything .. Balloons and
all blocks. Gonzo. Only 83%. Help! :)

By Ahem

Toss the sardine can on the platform but behind the slingshot. Be careful that the can doesn’t slide off the platform.

By Wheeler

Well that was quite sneaky. Thank you. Now like everyone else I’m stuck with 6-4.

By jimmypfc

so far i have
99% on level 4-2,
99% on level 5-13,
77% on level 6-4,
87% on level 8-15,
93% on level 9-9,
98% on level 10-2.

just need these last six to compete it all but im having alot of difficutlites this is much harder then 3* each level.

any help would be appricheated.

By jimmypfc

just have level 6-4 to do which everyone is struggling on, and level 9-9 im haveing real difficulties any help please?

By Habanero

Think Rovio will just need to fix level 6-4 as it has something wrong with the Eagle scoring?

May be able to help with 9-9 though. Have just got 100% twice more by this method.
Take the first red bird high to wipe out all the glass and the wooden block furthest right.
Gently hit the 2nd red bird into the left hand concrete (without smashing anything) then quickly land the can of sardines on the red bird before it vanishes. This stops the can of sardines from bouncing back and leaves it really close to the left side of the structure. Eagle has then taken out all but a single block and voila!! 100% destruction.

By Chris

Can anybody send me a walkthrough video of level 4-2 which shows how to get eagle highscore 100%?
Even if it’s doable, I think there must be a bug anyway. Several times I had only one brick left, and it gave me only between 70 and 80%. My maximum is 82%.
Even if there should be a method to get 100% here, I don’t know how it is possible to get only about 75% if only one brick is left.

By Habanero

This one, 4-2, kept me entertained for quite a while too. I tried destroying all the wood in the left hand side corner with the regular birds and then tried to place the can of sardines slightly left of centre of the middle section on the concrete slab… yielded 100% in the end. Not totally glitched like 6-4 but not very forgiving!

By Chris

Oh no, I’m so stupid. I meant level 6-4, not 4-2. Sorry.

By Christi

Level 6-4 with the eagle cannot be done. With only 4 blocks left I still cannot get more than 80%.

By MDSH

The BIG BIG problem with the Mighty Eagle is that there seems to be no clear cut rules on what constitutes 100% destruction and what does not.

I’ve cleared entire levels of every single block and pig (not a single one of either remaining) and only got 99% destruction, but then on the same level, had a wooden block remaining and got 100% destruction.

While the Mighty Eagle is seriously fun, its implementation has also been seriously flawed.

I hope the designers get around to implementing some clear-cut rules on what it means to get 100% destruction, because so far I’ve seen some very contradictory success. Levels where everything isn’t cleared, but am awarded Total Destruction, and levels where I have cleared everything and am awarded something less than 100%.

By Chris

I have 209 feathers now. Only the one in level 6-4 is missing.

Does everybody here agree that in level 6-4 one cannot score 100% with Mighty Eagle?
(My best score is 82%, and I’m really proud of it. :-) Who scored more?)

By michel

agreed

By Donna

82% is my best score, too. And it doesn’t matter what is left. I DO know my blood pressure is up a few points from this. Lol!

By ndylan

I’ve tried 6-4 hundreds of times, hundreds of ways and cannot score above 80%. It’s the only feather I don’t have and it’s so freaking annoying! Maybe, as someone in an earlier post suggested, it’s just a glitch. It raises my blood pressure too, Donna! HAHA!

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