Surviving until adulthood is a challenge for all in the animal kingdom, but it becomes especially difficult when the youngsters have to fend off their own kind in order to eat.
The young eagle in this video provided by BDN contributor Allie Ladd probably couldn’t believe its lucky day when it came across the road kill Ladd had placed on the log near the game camera.
But the bird’s luck ran out when the big birds moved in, trying to get their pieces of the meal. The young bird held its own against the fully mature eagles, although we don’t know what happened in the next sequence.
Eaglets learn defensive tactics while still in their nest, according to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. They have a rather harsh upbringing in which the parents don’t interfere if eaglet siblings attack each other. This can result in the death of the weaker eaglet, although not necessarily.
The parents basically provide food for the growing eaglets, according to Audubon.
The eagle in the video is immature, but old enough to fend for itself — even protect its food source.
