The Hylian Eagle



The Hylian Eagle is a commonly red engraving or depiction of an archaic bird, usually beneath the Triforce, and can be seen on the Hylian Shield, around Hyrule Castle, and at the Temple of Time, in the state of this symbol.

Because it is only seen beneath the Triforce, and as the entire image (Triforce and bird) is seen as a symbol of Hyrule and the Triforce itself, it has been speculated that since the bird is facing the Triforce, that a mystical bird may be the missing link between the real world and the Triforce.

Possible Candidates
It has been speculated that Kaepora Gaebora from Ocarina of Time whom is an owl, and the Helmaroc King from The Wind Waker which is a large Kargarok, may be such birds, but neither of them lead Link to the Triforce itself, and are not similar in physical structure to the bird depicted in the symbol around Hyrule Castle, the Temple of Time, or even the Hylian Shield.

Kaepora Gaebora
Kaepora Gaebora does however lead Link about Hyrule as an experienced traveler, and if one goes with the theory that the owl is actually the Sage of Light, Rauru, in a transfiguration, the argument could be made that since Rauru exists only in the Chamber of Sages, located in the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm, he could have in fact led Link to the Triforce, located in the temple, through use of his bird form, if, at the time, the Triforce had been returned to three parts. However, this does not happen in Ocarina of Time and cannot be considered as fact, just mere fan speculation.

The Helmaroc King
The Helmaroc King has even less connection to the Triforce, only acting as a minion of Ganondorf, doing his deeds as he demanded, despite its uncanny eagle-like appearance. Of what we know based on The Windwaker, the Helmaroc King has no contact with the Triforce, and when the Triforce is revealed at the end of the game, the Helmaroc King had already been long defeated.

Ooccoo
The most plausible connection in a canonical Zelda game to the Hylian Eagle is Ooccoo, the strange bird that helped Link on his quest through the temples in Twilight Princess. Ooccoo and others of his race can speak Hylian and are hinted to be ancestors of the Hylian race, and with the Hylian eagle symbol seen on the Hylian Shield, Hyrule Castle, and in the Temple of Time (in Hyrule Castle), one could consider the Hylian Eagle symbol representative of the Hylian race. Living in the City in the Sky, Ooccoo is technically in the closest place reachable by Link so far to the point in the sky where the Goddesses left the world, leaving the Triforce in their place. According to Shad, the Oocca race are the closest to the goddesses, even closer than the Hylians. However, Ooccoo simply does not resemble the bird depiction in the Hylian Shield, despite its connections to the possibility of being the Hylian Eagle, resembling more of a chicken-like structure. In this game as well, despite all of this evidence, Ooccoo does not lead Link to the Triforce, and these theories must be considered as extrapolation, not fact.

Other plausible, yet unlikely candidates:
 * Argorok, the boss of the City of the Sky in Twilight Princess - highly resembles that of the symbolic eagle, with red skin and large extended wings, but has no known connection to the Triforce.
 * Kargaroks, the small birds around the world of The Wind Waker - they also seem to have no connection to the Triforce, are not present at the end of the game when the Triforce is revealed.

Variations
It should be noted that, as of late, the Hylian Eagle has been commonly depicted without its head. Instead, the Triforce takes up the space above its body and between its wings. The first headless eagle was featured in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and also appears in all subsequent games, including Twilight Princess.

Also in Twilight Princess, there are many statues around Hyrule (most notably in Hyrule Castle) that depict the eagle with larger wings than usual.

Despite these variations in the Hylian Eagle symbol, it remains mostly in tact when depicted on the Hylian Shield, and it retains its head.