Good to see that America’s national bird has a little fight in em’.
This video is rather rare, considering eagles prefer to avoid confrontation – especially with their own species. And when it comes to hunting, they ideally like to catch their victims by surprise, often using their great vision (hence the phrases “eagle-eyed”) to spot prey from afar and swoop down to grab them before they even know what hits them.
When baldies aren’t facing off against one another like in this video, they are usually trying to pick on things a little bit smaller than their size. Bald eagles weigh anywhere between six and fifteen pounds (with females actually weighing more than males) and have a wingspan range of six to eight feet.
So that’s why you often see videos of bald eagles trying to scoop up yappy dogs, fishing for carp that they can barely get out of the water, or gruesomely stealing away someone’s house cat. The predatory birds tend to avoid tussles, but sometimes fights are unavoidable.
In this video of a creekside showdown between two bald eagles, it certainly looks like both birds are very motivated to battle. The post’s caption explained why two eagles might choose to get in a heated physical encounter like the one featured in the video below:
“Eagles are highly territorial birds, and fights often occur when one eagle encroaches on another’s space. These conflicts are typically over territory or mates, with the resident eagle defending access to resources like food, nesting sites, and safety. During mating season, fights can also happen between males competing for the attention of a female.”
The caption goes on to explain that bald eagles typically aren’t trying to kill each other when they face off. Most of the time, the large birds clash with one another to establish dominance. They’ll use their talons to grapple and scratch the other eagle, and when the battle between two eagles is on the ground like this one, they’re both just trying to outlast each other.
Bald eagles usually don’t suffer any serious injuries when they fight like this. They’re typically looking to make the other eagle retreat, or at the very least intimidate their opponent so they “don’t come around these parts” anymore. These altercations almost never end in the death of one of the birds, but in rare cases, neither bald eagle will back down and the duel only ends in death. However, most bald eagles know when it’s time to retreat.
With this skirmish, there was also the added element of danger as the bald eagle quarrel poured into the creek. They were originally exchanging blows on dry ground just above the water. At one point, one of the birds is caught off balance and falls back into the creek. That only added to the suspense of the feud.
The bald eagles crashed and splashed into one another, utilizing their massive wings to throw hands (throw feathers?). Eventually, it appears that they both became a touch exhausted and their attacks subsided. Maybe that was for the best though, because an ugly altercation could have resulted in one of the American symbols meeting its watery demise.
Take a look:
