A golden eagle with a golden opportunity.
You shouldn’t ever underestimate the size of a golden eagle. The bird of prey is among the largest of all flying creatures in North America. They can boast a wingspan 72 to 86 inches (up to 7 feet), so that alone makes the golden eagle one of the Animal Kingdom’s most intimidating birds.
Though they typically stick to hunting smaller animals like rabbits, squirrels, and other mid-sized prey, golden eagles have been known to pick on things that are little bit bigger than their size. So yes, that means they go against the “pick on something your own size” saying.
That’s has been made evident by unbelievable videos of golden eagles picking up and carrying off goats, flying off with a fox in tow, and even a pair of the eagles taking down a fully grown wolf. In case you need it plainly spelled out for you, nothing is off the menu for golden eagles.
The large birds can be dangerous to just about anything on land. A golden eagle’s agility combined with its speed and their razor sharp talons can spell trouble for even the fiercest of animals. And don’t forget that they are usually launching aerial attacks, which often benefits them with the element of surprise.
It seems as though that’s how the golden eagle in the video below was able to take down a smaller deer. This won’t be the biggest buck you’ve ever seen by any means, but it also isn’t Bambi. The deer was doing its best to run away from the approaching golden eagle, though it was ultimately no match for the sharp-taloned eagle.
The golden eagle flew down with tremendous speed and latched on to the back of the smaller deer, sending it tumbling and leaving it in a pretzel on the ground. It might not have been part of the initial attack plan, but the golden eagle basically body slammed the deer before it brought it to a complete stop. If it was an accident, it worked out for the big bird.
Even with the golden eagle digging into its upper torso, the small deer put up a valiant fight. However, the sizable bird was in full control by the end of the clip, and probably had itself one heck of a meal when it was all said and done.
Take a look:
