While the crocodile was not paying attention, the fish eagle swooped down to steal the remaining meat of the warthog, but the heavy prey prevented it from flying up.
Visitor Gavin Ellard accidentally witnessed an interesting food fight between a crocodile and a fish eagle in Kruger National Park, South Africa, Latest Sightings Ellard said he and his family were relaxing at the Pafuri Border Camp when they suddenly heard splashing from the nearby Luvuvhu River. Realizing the crocodiles were hunting warthogs, he took out his phone to record the footage.
The Ellards weren’t the only ones watching the crocodiles, however. From above, a hungry fish eagle was also watching the hunt and landed on the nearby riverbank. The crocodile easily took the warthog, and soon the animal was reduced to tiny pieces. The eagle knew it had to act quickly before there was nothing left.
When the crocodile paused to swallow, the eagle swooped in and stole the food. The action was quick, but it could not fly away. The bait seemed heavy and dragged the fishing eagle into the water. At this point, it was in great danger because the crocodile immediately chased after it. The thief had to flap his wings and kick his feet to get to shore.
The eagle narrowly escaped, but the bait got stuck at the river’s edge, right next to the sandbank. The crocodile quickly swooped in and snatched the bait back, leaving the eagle hungry again.
African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus cried out) is a bird of the Accipitridae family, native to sub-Saharan Africa, where there are large bodies of water rich in fish. They look quite similar to the bald eagle, adults are 63 – 75 cm long with a wingspan of about 2 m. The feet have rough soles and strong claws that allow the fish eagle to hold on to its prey, which are catfish. Although they mainly eat fish, they are opportunistic animals and can eat a variety of other prey.