Thieving bald eagle grabs rabbit from fox's paws
Wildlife photographer Kevin Ebi captured a series of images showing an incredible interaction between a bald eagle and a fox in Seattle.
Wildlife photographer Kevin Ebi was fortunate to witness a spectacular battle between a bald eagle and a fox while he was out at Seattle's San Juan Island National Historical Park. Kevin watched as a fox got hold of a rabbit and prepared for a feast, but was interrupted by a crafty eagle.
The bald eagle, known as a skilled hunter, chose to cut its own hunting time in half by attempting to steal from the fox.
Kevin described the incident as "an especially dramatic act of thievery". The foxes, which were the main focus of Kevin's shoot, were calmly wandering along the prairie, hunting. One red fox pounced on a rabbit and was ready to settle down with it, but the eagle nearby had its own plans.
According to Kevin:
"The fox, with its jaw still clenched on the rabbit, inadvertently got snagged by the bald eagle. The eagle lifted the young fox and rabbit into the sky triggering an even more dramatic struggle.
There have been stories of bald eagles taking off with animals as large as young deer, but while they’re strong, they’re not that strong. They can comfortably lift about half their body weight — so about five or six pounds [two or three kilograms]. The young fox and rabbit were likely just beyond that weight.
The kit put up quite a fight, swinging back and forth. The eagle transferred the rabbit to its right talon and eventually let the fox go. The fox fell from enough height to trigger a small dust cloud when it hit the ground.
The whole battle was over in less than 8 seconds."
The eagle's attempt to snatch the fox's food can be attributed to "kleptoparasitism", the birds' tendency to steal food from others. Bald eagles are known for being opportunistic predators.
But this time, the fox would not be bullied.