I saw two Mocking Birds do this to a Hawk. The Mocking Birds were about the size of tennis balls, the hawk was like a winged football. The Mocking Birds were so agile and attacked from all angles not just swooping in and drove the Hawk off with ease.
The eagle is at least 5 years old because juveniles have dark heads and don't get their "bald heads" until they are of mature breeding age. The hawks are likely defending their nearby nest possibly with vulnerable chicks in it. Hmm...an American symbol invading someone else's. sovereign territory? lol!
Somewhat dated video but results are the same when ANY bird or Raptor tries to attack a bald eagle in the air-- Wasn't " Evasive tactics at all-- But as U P states-- the bald eagle rolled talons up in the air to engage in Aerial Combat but the Hawks are interested only in " dive bombing " the BE to drive it away from their Nest.--Aerial Combat bet. other Raptors and BE won't happen--- One has to wait for two BE to fight each other for that sort of Aerial Display.
"Attacked" is the wrong word really. "Mobbed" would be better. From a dictionary definition of 'to mob': "(of a group of birds or mammals) surround and attack (a predator or other source of threat) in order to drive it off. "a cuckoo flew over, to be mobbed at once by two reed warblers".
See this alot in New York. To me those were Red Tails but could be wrong. The American Eagle wasn't stressing this a bit, hawks basically trying to run Eagle away not fight. That American Eagle if pushed would tear them apart in mid air.
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It's not surprising that hawks are faster than eagles. This can be compared to why fighter planes are faster than bomber planes. Hawks are lighter in weight, so it's easier for them to overcome air resistance. But at the same time, the eagle is stronger and more resilient.
A bald eagle can easily take a falcon or hawk. The fact is the bird initially dive bombing the bald eagle must have a death wish. Very dumb indeed. Those bald eagle talons can shred anything.
All eagles have that maneuvre and they mostly use it amongst themselves. When eagles fight, they do it in the air, and they even lock talons together and spin like mad, loosening from each other just before dropping into the tree tops, which they sometimes do, at very nasty costs. Hawks and falcons always attack eagles and other big raptors like the Osprey and Spotted Eagle-Owl, not to kill them, but to harass them out of their territory.
It's the Hawks that are attacking... They were actually pair and protecting their nest and somehow I can tell they have their youngster near that tree so they would have to fight back that bald eagle who were trying to prey on their babies....
