Great Eagles

The Great Eagles were birds that served as messengers of Manwë. Among those were the Great Eagles, immense birds who were sentient, capable of speech, and often helped Men, Elves and Wizards in their quests to defeat evil. They were "devised" by Manwë Súlimo, King of the Valar, and were often called the Eagles of Manwë.
They were sent from Valinor to Middle-earth to keep an eye on the exiled Ñoldor, and on their foe, the evil Vala Morgoth, and later upon Sauron.
== History ==
=== First Age ===
The Great Eagles were the messengers and spies of Manwë, and possessed the ability to see through all physical matter except for the blackness of Morgoth's evil pits. Morgoth first discovered the limits of their sight prior to the fall of the great stronghold of Utumno.
For a time the King of the Eagles, Thorondor, kept his eyries at the top of Thangorodrim, the three mighty peaks that Morgoth raised from the Iron Mountains above the gates of Angband. While they lived there, Thorondor helped Fingon rescue Maedhros. Thorondor's folk later removed their eyries to the Crissaegrim, part of the Echoriath about Gondolin. There they were friends of Turgon, and kept spies off the mountains.
Thorondor wounded Morgoth in the face after Morgoth's battle with Fingolfin, and carried Fingolfin's corpse to the Echoriath, where Turgon buried him.
The Great Eagles fought alongside the army of the Valar, Elves and Edain during the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age, intervening decisively with Eärendil in the battle against Ancalagon.
=== Second Age ===
In the Second Age, a pair of Eagles had an eyrie in the King's House in Armenelos, the capital of Númenor, until the Kings became hostile to the Valar. The Eagles also watched the peak of Mount Meneltarma, and three Eagles would always appear when someone climbed to the summit.
Towards the end of Númenor, the Valar sent storm clouds in the shape of Great Eagles in an attempt to warn them of their folly and impending doom.
=== Third Age ===
In the Third Age, Thorondor's descendants Gwaihir and Landroval lived in an eyrie to the east of the Misty Mountains in Wilderland. These Eagles helped the Elves of Rivendell and Radagast in watching the land and in gathering news about the Orcs.
== The Lord of the Rings ==
=== The Fellowship of the Ring ===
Before and during the War of the Ring, Gwaihir rescued Gandalf the Grey from the top of Isengard—having been dispatched by Radagast—and again from Zirak-Zigil.
=== The Return of the King ===
The Eagles aided troops of King Elessar at the Battle of the Morannon at the Black Gate. The Eagles arrived in time to overthrow some Nazgûl. Gwaihir, with others of his people, rescued Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee from Mount Doom in Mordor after the One Ring had been destroyed.
== The Hobbit ==
Sixty years prior, the Eagles rescues Bilbo, Thorin and their thirteen companions after Gandalf summoned them. They later came to the Battle of the Five Armies.