Last week, I posted some photos of Red-Tailed Hawk, Amelia, being mobbed by a Northern Mockingbird. I've always thought Mockingbirds to be the gutsiest of all the small birds when it comes to assaulting raptors. A recent experience, however, has changed my mind.
I now declare Eastern Kingbirds masters of mobbing.
I was hiking on a rainy day when I heard a Kingbird calling, followed by the cries of a young Bald Eagle. It turns out the Eagle had committed the crime of perching in the Kingbird's tree.
A pair of Kingbirds harassed the Eagle until it flew out of the tree, at which point they followed and aggressively bit the Eagle on the back and head.
This was the first time I'd ever seen the golden crowns of the Kingbirds (visible in the photo below), a sign they were really riled up.
This was one of the most exciting bird observations I've had, so I was annoyed that it happened on a dark rainy day with bad light, but I'm happy to have been able to get these photos even if they aren't the best quality.
In the end, the Kingbirds chased the Eagle far from their tree, which they returned to, victorious.
On the same day, I found an adult Bald Eagle being bullied by a Mockingbird.
It was interesting to note that the Mockingbird approached the adult
Eagle from behind and bit its tail rather than going for the head. Maybe
the Mockingbird recognized that this was a more experienced and
threatening enemy than the young inexperienced Eagle.
Eventually, the persistent Mockingbird won this battle as well, driving the Eagle off its perch and out of the area.
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