The eagle has the longest life-span of it's species. It can live up to 70 years but to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its' 40's, its' long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its' long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its' old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers become stuck to its' chest and make it difficult to fly.
Then, the eagle is left with only two options:
Die
or
Go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days
The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons. When its talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers.
After five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.
Why is change needed?
Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens can we take advantage of the present.