Watch This Bald Eagle Become a Kamikaze and Divebomb a Massive Grizzly Bear

One minute you’re having a nice stroll thinking that you are alone with your thoughts and the next you are attacked from the sky! In this extraordinary clip, we see a bald eagle attack a grizzly bear from above – seemly targeting the bear’s eyes. We think this grizzly got away without being too badly injured. However, the talons of a bald eagle have the potential to cause a lot of problems even for an animal as big as a grizzly bear.

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Two American Icons Clash

The grizzly bear and the bald eagle are two Northern America iconic animal symbols. The bald eagle has been the national bird of the US since 1782 and lives in forested areas near water sources. The grizzly bear (a brown bear) likes similar environments so they will encounter each other from time to time.

We see the bald eagle swoop out of nowhere and grasp at the bear’s head and eyes with its huge talons. Then it releases its grip and flies off. This is unlikely to be a case of mistaken identity as bald eagles have amazing eyesight. They spot small mammals, fish, and waterfowl from their vantage point in the sky and swoop down to attack with deadly accuracy.

Protecting Their Young

It is more likely that the eagle sees the bear as a threat. Bald eagle nests can be made on the ground by weaving sticks together and lining it with moss – they measure five to six feet in diameter. The large bear may be lumbering towards a nest and the eagle may think that its young are in danger. This is a reasonable assumption. Grizzly bears are omnivores and eat mainly plants but eggs are a great source of protein and bears will eat them if they can. Grizzlies are great opportunists and if this grizzly had stumbled upon a nest, the eggs would have been in danger.

Even though the bald eagle is obviously smaller than the bear, it has some impressive weapons. Some of these eagles can weigh up to 14 pounds and have eight talons that they use to capture, subdue, and kill their prey. The talons are up to two inches long and can exert hundreds of psi of pressing power! When these are used at speed, they can inflict horrific injuries. This grizzly was lucky to escape!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/BrianEKushner