
This shocking faceoff between two iconic creatures is the ultimate example of U.S.A vs Canada — bird edition.
Photographer Lisa Bell captured this series of photos detailing a dramatic interaction between an American bald eagle and a Canada goose on Vancouver Island. Watch the battle unfold:

The eagle initially floored the goose with its powerful talons, and it seemed like the fight was over before it even began.

Canada geese—which can weigh anywhere between 5-14 pounds—are known to be pretty territorial and aggressive, but this goose appeared to be easily outmatched by its American competitor. For a while, its strategy seemed to be simply playing dead.

But then the goose apparently got a second wind.
Miraculously, the Canadian bird managed to escape the eagle’s clutches and wisely decided to make a run for it.

For a moment, the eagle appears stunned by the goose’s quick exit.

Bald eagles are among North America’s largest raptors and regularly snatch up various waterfowl and occasionally small mammals to supplement their diet of fish.

Once the goose hit the water, he had a bit of an advantage. Whenever the eagle flew overhead, the goose would evade the predator by diving deep below the surface.

Apparently that worked because the eagle eventually gave up.

“[We] had a happy ending to the tale of a goose freeing itself from a hungry Eagle’s talons… Might not be so lucky next time,” Bell wrote in a comment on the page.

The amazing photos were posted to the Facebook group Vancouver Island Images. Bell wrote that she was grateful to have “had the glory of witnessing nature at it’s best and capture it in my lens.”
This battle yielded no clear winners — so the rivalry continues (although both birds probably live near Vancouver anyway, so there’s that.)