Imagine taking a little tree nap right by your nest when, suddenly, your neighbor attacks you and then just flies away like nothing happened. That happened to a bald eagle, and an Explore.org trail cam caught the moment on video. Believe it or not, it was an owl that attacked the eagle.
“Someone call the HOA, the Great Horned owls are at it again,” wrote Explore.org in its Instagram post sharing the trail-cam footage.
In the video, you see a bald eagle curled up on a tree branch at night. Then, a great horned owl flies in, sucker punches the eagle, and then flies away. The eagle is left wondering what the heck just happened. (Us too.)
“Doesn’t he know that’s not owllowed?” jokes one person in the comment section.
Others question the behavioral motivation behind this attack. Explore.org suggests it’s likely “a territorial moment” on the part of the owl.
Watch a great horned owl attack a sleeping eagle here:
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