Here is where a theoretical discussion about how bald eagles resolve food disputes becomes more specific. Recall that an arriving eagle (#2) dropped in on the beach, displacing the possessor (#1). 131A5602-Edit-2

There were actually two carcasses, so there was ostensibly a meal for each eagle, #1 and #2.  They here eye their servings. #2 is closest to us.

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But a dispute arises.  Perhaps one serving was better. 131A5645

Just when #2 goes airborne for tactical advantage, a third eagle, #3, arrives. #2, the disputant on the ground, having dispossessed #1 (briefly airborne), is still clutching a cod's head in its shadowed talon and confronts #1. 131A6090 131A6091

But #2 then turns its attention to newly arriving #3. 131A6093

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The lineup below: #2 is on the left and still clutches the cod's head; #3 has landed a little beyond #2 and stands in the middle; #1 is on the right. (Who is who is not evident here because the three eagles are not easily distinguished visually, but unposted shots show #3 overflying #2 and landing in the middle.) 131A6108

#2 eats as #3 watches. #1 looks away, perhaps conceding.

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#3, the new arrival, goes into the air and makes a move on #2.  #2 spins around to protect its prize, the cod's head.   131A6177 131A6179 131A6181

#2, the possessor, declines to give up the prize.
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#2 and #3 engage in some posturing.  #2 spins around, but loses contact with the cod's head. It is visible between the eagles in the third image below.

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#3 attacks. The cod's head is visible beneath #3's extended wingtips.
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#2 tries to avoid contact.  131A6207

#3's attack has caused both eagles to move away from the cod's head. Now they race to reclaim it.  131A6215-2

#3 wins.  

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#3 was seemingly the most aggressive in this confrontation; #1 was the least aggressive. Appearances are a little misleading, but #3 is arguably larger than #2. Other factors, including hierarchy in the local eagle community and gender, might have determined the outcome in this particular dispute.