The eagle has the longest lifespan of its species but must undergo a difficult process of renewal to survive past middle age. As the eagle reaches its 40s, its talons can no longer grab prey and its beak and wings deteriorate, leaving it unable to fly or hunt. To renew itself, the eagle flies to a mountain top and knocks its beak against a rock to remove it before new feathers, talons, and a beak grow, allowing it to fly again after five months and live another 30 years.