They are the most famous birds of prey in the world and it seems they are just as vicious with each other as with the helpless animals that fear them.
A photographer has captured some spectacular images of two golden eagles locked in a desperate battle in the mountainous region of Utajärvi, Finland.
The amazing photos show a female eagle swooping in on a male and attacking after he has ventured into her territory.
The two golden eagles are photographed in a desperate battle in the mountainous Utajärvi region of Finland
The female is the aggressor, launching a ferocious attack after a male eagle makes the mistake of straying into her territory
The spectacular images capture every moment of the action as the birds tumble into the snow as they are locked in battle
Extreme cold and deep snow throughout the winter months often mean the birds don’t eat for days at a time – making them particularly aggressive in the desperate battle to find food.
In the dramatic action shots, which manage to capture the attack as well as the intricate details of the scene, the female can be seen swooping straight down onto the male in a relentless ambush.
After crashing into its target, the golden eagle was sent tumbling over a rock into a cloud of powdery snow, sparking an epic eight minute brawl.
The incident arose when the Finnish region experienced a lengthy spell of cold weather which forced the birds to rest their wings a way to reserve energy.
After not eating for days on end, the birds, who are notorious for their short tempers, then become extremely aggressive.
The female aggressor shows her dominance against the male in the prolonged attack, which see her dwooping down and crashing into him
Golden eagles are known for their aggression and were thought to have become particularly territorial after bad winter weather forced them into a period of days without food
Israeli wildlife photographer, Vladimir Kogan, was calmly snapping the eagles when the scuffle in the snow suddenly broke out
While clashes between golden eagles are not uncommon, a female attacking a male is a rarer sight for wildlife entnusiasts
Although it isn’t unusual for males to fight, females attacking males are not commonly seen in the wild.
Israeli wildlife photographer, Vladimir Kogan, was calmly snapping the eagles when the scuffle in the snow suddenly broke out.
Vladimir said: ‘The golden eagle is a very capricious and aggressive bird at the best of times.
‘It had been a pretty cold couple of days, the temperatures were below -25 degrees and when temperatures are that low these eagles try not to waste their energy.
‘They sit in tree branches waiting for the temperature to rise up to -10 to -15 degree so that they can fly off in search of food, but can wait for days.
The aggressive female can be seen sending the male tumbling into the snow after flying straight into him
Temperatures had reached lower than -25 degrees in Finland when Kogan witnessed the dramatic attack by the female bird
The golden eagles are forced to wait for days in the branches of trees for the weather to warm up by around 10 degrees before they can hunt
Kogan managed to capture the outstanding pictures as the battle raged in front of him, estimating that it lasted around eight minutes
‘Of course after a couple of cold, hungry days the eagles become more aggressive and are easily agitated.
‘I was so lucky to witness the moment too furious eagles began to fight with one another, it was a vicious battle and lasted about eight minutes in all.
‘Snowflakes started to fall during the fight which really added to the spectacular nature of the photos.’