The eagle is a large bird of prey, scientifically known as Haliaeetus leucocephalus. It is a North American resident bird and a national emblem of the United States. They have a body length of 70 to 102 cm, wings from 1.8 to 2.3 meters, and an average weight of about 4 to 6 kg. The feather color of the eagle is mostly brown and white, with the head and tail being white. Eagles are known for their excellent hunting abilities and hold an important place in many cultures and religions around the world.
The “dramatic baiting action” that happened in the San Juan Island National Historical Park in Washington state – USA was captured in time by two photographers Kevin Ebi and Zachary Hartje.
Mr. Ebi said on May 21 that he had visited the park a few days earlier to observe the red foxes hunting before sunset. One of these foxes caught a rabbit and took it away.
“I took a camera to capture this scene. Then, from behind, I heard the white-headed eagle. I turned around and saw it speeding up,” – photographer Ebi recounted.
Mr. Ebi said that the eagle aimed for the rabbit in the fox’s mouth, so he used the camera to capture this scene in succession and waited for the eagle to dive. “I was surprised because the scene was more dramatic than I thought. that the fox would release the rabbit for the eagle to have an easy dinner, but instead the fox kept the rabbit in his mouth and was dragged by the eagle. The eagle then lifted both the fox and the rabbit. Heaven creates a more dramatic confrontation,” said the photographer.
The confrontation lasted for about 8 seconds at a height of 6m when both refused to give up their prey. Finally, the eagle snatches the rabbit from the fox’s mouth, then drops the opponent to the ground.
Mr. Ebi added: “Don’t worry, the fox is fine. It escaped the confrontation and continued to play with the other foxes. I took a picture of it after the above encounter and could not detect any scratches.”.
According to photographer Ebi, red foxes do not usually hunt rabbits, but eat berries, insects, and hamsters.