Plucky Crows Harass Bald Eagles

Crow pulls the tail of an immature bald eagle, Delta, BC, Canada (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

4 February 2025

Bald eagles are top predators who will eat crow nestlings, fledglings and unwary adults if the opportunity arises, so crows learn from a very young age to watch out for eagles.

Even in the nest young crows hear and see their parents drive off hawks and eagles. In their first year of life, which they spend with their parents, they learn the rules of harassment.

  • When a lone crow sees an avian predator he perches prominently and calls for reinforcements.
  • When his buddies arrive the crows work as a mob to drive away the predator.
Crows mobbing a bald eagle in Bremerton, WA (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
American crows harassing a bald eagle in Alaska (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
  • When the situation is acute and the mob is left behind, a solo crow may harass an eagle even though he’s the only one left. Sometimes he does something daring.

Ten years ago photographer Phoo Chan went to the shore at Seabeck, Washington to photograph the bald eagles who arrive in large number during the midshipman fish run (Porichthys sp). He was very lucky to capture photos of a lone crow riding on an eagle’s back. See more in his article below.

Crows keep the world safe for crows. 😉

One thought on “Plucky Crows Harass Bald Eagles

  1. Great article, Kate
    I have seen this at Northmoreland Park in large conifers & other trees by the dam as Bald Eagles come visit the lake now & again. But 2-3b years ago as a Bald Eagle perched on a tree by the dam 3 crows decided to harass it and one was “in it’s face” for a while but the eagle stayed at his perch & just ignored them…

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