EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Chasing the Eagle!

left:  Blacksmith Plover (Vanellus armatus)       right:  African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
Lake Naivasha, Kenya, Eastern Africa

Explanation:  What is going on here?  With a quick flash of feathers, this chase scene is quickly over.  

We are at Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley of Kenya in eastern Africa.  This juvenile African Fish Eagle has just grabbed a large fish from the lake surface and is quickly heading back to its treetop perch for lunch ... when suddenly it is attacked and pursued by a Blacksmith Plover either defending its territory or wanting to pirate the fish for itself.

I have never seen this particular interaction of these species before.  The plover was sure of itself despite the massive size difference.  Perhaps the plover knew that the eagle could not attack because the plover was smaller, quicker, and more maneuverable, and because the eagle already had its talons full!  

The fish eagle quickly made off with its prey, leaving the plover behind.

Notice how the eagle is holding the fish:  head-first and along the long axis of its own body.  This is to keep a firm grasp but reduce wind resistance and increase streamlining through the air.  Osprey and other fish-eating birds of prey also do this.

You can tell that this is a juvenile African Fish Eagle by the mottled appearance of its head and leg feathers, and the black eye-line (visible in the main photo, above).  Adults have a pure white head and chest, with no eye line.