Actually, what Elders named an eagle was most probably a bearded vulture. This bird feeds on tortoises, and usually drops them from the sky to crack them open.

A bearded vulture, probably mistaking the plawright's bald head for a stone, dropped a tortoise on it and thereby killed him.

You can find a report on this tragic incident in the very serious encyclopedia Souda:
χελώνης ἐπιρριφείσης αὐτῷ
(he received a tortoise)
ὑπὸ ἀετοῦ φέροντος
(carried by an eagle)
κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς
(right on his head)
ἀπώλετο ἐτῶν νη γενόμενος
(and there he died).

(See the Suda on line for a more academic translation)

This story remains questionable, thus if anyone gets new intels whether this happened or not, please let us know.