Eagle vs Vulture

A Tawny Eagle is toppling Lappet-faced Vulture mid-air. These are the largest in Africa (~12.5 kg) with a wingspan of ~ 3 meters.

These images depict a fight for food, an effort by the tawny eagle to save its hard-earned rodent kill on the ground that hungry vultures spotted from miles away. There were two tawny’s and they were feasting on it hiding it well inside the long grass. I was doing photography inside Tarangire National Park, particularly focusing on elephants. On our 1st day, during the afternoon I spotted a pair of Tawny Eagle busy eating something hidden inside the grass and decided to wait. Wherein the pair didn’t show up and was busy eating, I sensed some movement in the sky, those were tiny spots and I took no time to guess that they are vultures.

Though nothing was visible to me inside the grass I was waiting to see Tawny’s response thinking they’ll have to leave it to vultures. But it wasn’t the case; before the 1st vulture was about to land one tawny took off towards the vulture and confronted; others eagle continues to feast.

Tawny was one-third of the size of the vulture but the ferocity it hit the vulture the scavenger lost its balance completely.

Looking at the lost battle rest of the vultures landed far away, but by that time tawny pair finished and carried away the smaller leftover of the kill and disappeared.

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