NEW YORK Highview Elementary School Q. How much time passes between when the eagle sees its prey, and when it catches it?
A. This would depend on how far away they spot the prey and when they decide to go after it; there is no automatic rule of thumb for this. Eagles will often sit for hours scanning the water for prey to either swim near the surface or float by. Generally though, once they leave their perch for some target prey, they either catch it or they don’t within a minute or two. This also depends on the type of prey they are after. For example, if they are hunting waterfowl like ducks or geese, they may make many passes over an hour or two before successfully selecting their target and killing it.
