Driving down the Maxabene Riverbed looking for owls, we were thrilled to suddenly see a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl take off from a Tamboti grove we were approaching. It landed a short distance away in a Weeping Boer Bean tree, but its clumsy attempts to stabilise itself made us realise it was still very young. Looking through the binoculars we could see that it was indeed little more than a chick.
To our surprise – and to the owl’s I’m sure – a pair of Wahlberg’s eagles suddenly plummeted from the sky, dive-bombing the chick where it was exposed on the outer branches. We had driven past the eagles earlier that afternoon only a few hundred metres up the river, and they were clearly nest-building. They obviously took exception the proximity of another predatory bird to their nest.
The owl chick is very camouflaged in this picture; it can just be seen directly below the eagle, its wing extended and dangling straight down.
The owl chick wisely sought refuge deeper in the tree, and after a few awkward hops and scrambles, was far enough into the canopy that the eagles couldn’t get to it.
Meanwhile, one of its parents had flown out of the same Tamboti grove and had landed in a Leadwood tree nearby.
Being far more exposed, the adult owl immediately became the target for the Wahlberg’s pair, that began to mob it relentlessly.
The eagles must have flown in well over twenty times, but the owl stayed where it was. It had the protection of a few spindly branches, and that was seemingly enough. If the eagles had come tearing in to the canopy at speed, they may well have been injured in a collision with a branch, so never fully commited. Also, Verreaux’s Eagle Owls are big birds, and a physical engagement would have been very dangerous for the eagle(s).
The eagles would come screaming in and then turn away at the last second.
We wondered why the owl stayed exposed for so long though and don’t have a definitive answer. It was very unlikely to get hurt, so might not have felt an urgent need to remove itself from the scene.
Personally I like to think that it remained in the open in order to divert attention away from its chick. Diversionary tactics like this are well documented in the natural world, although I haven’t heard of them in owls.
Ultimately none of the birds involved were too likely to come to harm. It was simply an amazing encounter that reinforces why the larger owls like to remain hidden during the day, and how protective birds can be over their nests.
Wow! Amazing sighting.
James, I saved the eagle owls🤗
Very cool interaction. The Owl definitely seemed unconcerned.
Fascinating! I hadn’t realized how large this owl is in comparison to the eagle. The Wahlbergs certainly have dive bombing down to an art, thanks to seeing your video.
Really interesting bird behavior
Spectacular James! Brave owl….
Thank you! Your blog always takes me by surprise. A brand new mock-fight among predators that is not so commonview…
That is some nice mobbing behavior. Beautifully captured.
Wow!!! That was thrilling! My sister Tina and I witness a similarly amazing scene on UC Berkeley’s campus where a murder of crows were menacing what we believe was a young, but still large, golden eagle that must have gotten too close to their nesting. It was truly and incredible thing to witness, and we were merely a few feet away from it all unfolding!!
Very interesting indeed, James. I have a question. Some years ago we were dropping a small bird off at the “Free Me” centre in Rivonia. While we were there they demonstrated the training they were given to what had been injured birds in getting them to fly again. One of these was an Owl. There was nothing physically wrong with him, but evidently he was taking an AGE to learn to fly whereas all the other breeds of birds learnt quite quickly. He sat there solidly and refused to move. The trainers said that ALL the owls handed in were carefully treated until they were physically fine, but they all took ages longer to fly than any of the other birds. So, much as we all love owls, they said that they had come to the conclusion that owls were actually VERY dim. They were good at being owls of course, but that is where it stopped. How do you feel about the owls’ intelligence, James? Or anyone-else with any comments would be appreciated. Thanks for the video!. Wendy M
Hi Wendy,
Truth be told I have very little evidence – empirical or otherwise – to base my call on, so can’t really comment. I know owls are often touted as being wise, but I imagine that has more to do with their physical appearance than anything else…
I’d like to think they’re intelligent, but have nothing to base that on…