A splendid, strong eagle swooped across the sky and with one pull, lifted a sheep off the ground, carrying it away. A jackdaw watching nearby was very impressed by the act. Thinking to itself, he believed that he could also do the same, swoop across the ground and carry a wooly sheep away.
Thus, it did so. The jackdaw went flying and clawed down on a sheep that was peaceful grazing. However, he harder it pulled the sheep, the more its claws got stuck in its curly wool. He was far from lifting it off the ground.
The farmer was watching nearby, and realized what the jackdaw had assumed it was capable of. He caught the bird quickly and clipped off its wings. That night, the farmer gave the jackdaw to his kids.
“What is this bird called?” asked the children. “It is a jackdaw. But if you were to ask it, he would probably say he is an eagle” chuckled the farmer.
We should never let our vanity delude our perceptions of ourselves.
Related Stories:
Previous: The Frogs Who Wished for a King
Click for more Aesop fables kids
