This is the fourth part of our ‘fight in the wild series’ The first part involved a fighting Cheetah Vs African Lion whereas in the second part, we Spotted Hyena wrestled Grey Wolf. The third part was a stalemate between Hippopotamus and Bull Shark.
Today, let’s go a little above the seas and the land. It’s an aerial battle between Eagle and Vulture.
- Eagle: Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, not all of which are closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found—2 in North America, 9 in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large, hooked beaks for ripping flesh from their prey, strong, muscular legs, and powerful talons. The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles’ eyes are extremely powerful. Eagles a can fly at fascinating speeds, some can even fly in faster than the fastest cars on earth! The golden eagle is able to fly at a whopping speed of 320 km/ hr. or maybe more ( we still have a lot to discover about these mighty beasts of the sky). Other eagles that fly at high speeds are the Steppe eagle that can fly at a speed of 300 km/hr and the bald eagle that flies ate a speed of 160 km/hr.
- Vulture: A vulture is a scavenging bird of prey. The two types of vultures are the New World vultures, including the Californian and Andean condors, and the Old World vultures, including the birds that are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains. Some traditional Old World vultures (including the bearded vulture) are not closely related to the others, which is why the vultures are to be subdivided into three taxa rather than two. New World vultures are found in North and South America; Old World vultures are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, meaning that between the two groups, vultures are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Mentioning of the word vulture, what comes to most people mind is the ugly bald-headed and lazy bird that waits for the other animals to die so that they can eat their carcass. However, they can fly 1100 km (800 miles) in a single day, and they have been recorded flying at 201.1 km/h (125 mph), making them the birds with the one of fastest speed ever recorded on a self-powered flight, and the fastest endurance flight.
The fight: Size Vs Experience
The vulture can be huge and definitely larger in size than the eagle but can’t be compared with the characteristics and hunting skills possessed by the eagle, and so, eagle will have an upper hand. Eagle has an experience in hunting, and it is known to take down even the large animals and birds in the wild.
The eagle is used in killing big animals such as deer, monkeys, and foxes with its powerful talons. The eagle can use the same powerful talons and its experience on the vulture leaving it either dead or seriously injured.
In addition, the eagle has great flying speeds (golden eagle can glide in the air at 350km/hr) and therefore the vulture would not have a place to escape although even the vultures are fast.
If this battle happens, Eagle will win mainly due to the experience in hunting and the vulture will go down after an intense fight.
