The water has not even settled when it is already too late for the pompano.
An osprey dives down and sinks its talons—curved and sharp like hooks—into the fish.
That is where the difficult part begins. The prey thrashes beneath the water as the eagle tries to reach the surface with something that probably weighs more than its own body. The waves push against it, but it does not seem willing to return empty-taloned.
It makes it. The eagle rises with the pompano firmly held between its talons, in a display of strength that seems impossible for such a lightweight animal.
Ospreys are especially adapted for this task. Their legs and talons allow them to grip slippery fish after diving, while their wings allow them to take flight again quickly.
In just a few seconds, the video shows everything it can cost a predator to get a meal: finding it, catching it, pulling it out of the water, and defending it until it can take it away.