Eagle's reaction at the moment earthquake strikes, caught on video

5.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern California

A bald eagle’s astonishment at experiencing an earthquake has been captured on camera.

The live webcam clip shows the bird, rattled by the 5.3-magnitude tremor, taking flight from a nest of eaglets on Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara in southern California.

The Channel Islands National Park is home to around 60 bald eagles.

After the bird leaves, three baby eagles are left chirping in the swaying nest.

The earthquake, which was strong enough to be felt in Los Angeles, struck 61km (38 miles) off the coast of California on Thursday afternoon local time.

The strongest tremor to be felt in the area since 2014, it sparked fears of the “big one” hitting the region, but no major damage was caused.

The US Geological Survey recently said California has a 46 per cent chance of an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or higher striking within the next 30 years.