Is there anything that’ll get you more hyped up for the fourth of July, than by watching a bald eagle swoop in and whoop some ass?
By God, I don’t think so.
Bald eagles are a majestic symbol of strength, courage and freedom, any animal with those characteristics would have to be pretty badass, right?
Well, they really are.
They are the definition of an apex predator. Nothing really hunts them, but they hunt a lot of things. Sure, the odd bear might try to get to their nest but they are only killing babies, not adults.
The love hunting around water bodies, with fish being their favorite due to its high levels of protein. They will also hunt any small mammal, and sometimes not so small, other birds and even scavenge dead animals when they can.
They can weigh up to 15-pounds and have a wingspan that can span out up to 6.5-feet… just massive birds. And to top it off they have vision that will scare you, coming in at 20/5. They can see 4 to 8 times better than the average human, making them able to spot a rabbit miles away…
In this wild video, you can see a juveniles bald eagle (it takes a few years for the white feathers on the head to come in) chowing down on a fish dinner. Then, out of nowhere, a massive adult bald eagle comes swooping in and pounces on the intruder with its talons, and throws him off what appears to be the carcass of a halibut.
Needless to say, the bald eagle is going to get its own, and it’ll go to every extent to make sure that happens.
The caption from Nature Is Metal explains:
“Bald eagles are renowned for their competitive nature, particularly when it involves food acquisition and territory protection. One of their most pronounced competitive behaviors is kleptoparasitism, the act of stealing food from other birds and, if necessary, other eagles.
With their impressive size and strength, baldies are known to seize prey from smaller raptors like ospreys after they have done the hard work of capturing it.
In addition to this, bald eagles are fiercely territorial, especially during breeding season when they’re protecting their nests. They establish territories that they defend aggressively against intruders.
This defense often involves dramatic aerial displays and confrontations, including the awe-inspiring ‘cartwheeling’ behavior where two eagles lock talons and spiral towards the ground in a seeming free-fall, breaking off just before they hit the earth.
Such competitive behaviors underscore the adaptability and determination of bald eagles when it comes to resource acquisition and territorial defense.”
Check it out: