Tawny Eagle courtship is pretty much like the normal modern human relationship – a mutual give and take ….. the male gives, the female takes. Need proof?
While on a game drive a few years ago, we saw a Tawny Eagle repeatedly hovering above the road ahead of us. I slowed down and stopped about 30 meters from the bird as it settled down where a largish brown snake was lying on the left edge of road .
Unfortunately the driver of the car following us was not as considerate, quickly passing us and stopping right alongside the eagle, which of course took off and flew into a dead leadwood tree.
Some 15 seconds later the other car drove off, and I could move a bit closer and into a better position for shooting an image or two without spooking the eagle.
The eagle that was perched in the dead tree looked very interested in returning to the Olive Sand Snake lying in the road, but was very nervous because an even larger Tawny Eagle had by then arrived at the scene, hovering briefly over the snake before landing close by.
It quickly became clear enough that the eagle that had killed the snake was the male currently perched in the leadwood tree, and that the larger female had now claimed “her” prize.
The female was not very happy to be on the road, so, after determining that the snake was dead, she grabbed it and flew off to a big marula tree about 70 meters from the road.
There she commenced eating the snake, starting with the head. The male then joined her on the branch she was perched on, and tried very hard to get a “share” of the meal he had hunted and killed.
The female was firmly not in the mood to share, so after a while the male resorted to gently jumping onto her back and mating with her in an effort to get her to change her mind. As expected of any self-respecting female Tawny Eagle, she just continued stuffing her face during his performance. When he afterwards gingerly tried again to maybe get the last few inches of snake tail, she made it very obvious that his presence was superfluous.
Like most eagle males he showed not an iota of self-respect …. He just gave up and flew off.
Probably he’ll be helping with building their new nest and feeding the new brat, but that again is another story