
A red-crowned crane and an eagle take part in a spectacular mid-air fight as other birds watch on.

The two majestic birds used their feet to claw at each other after the eagle tried to snatch a fish from the much larger crane.

The opportunist white-tailed eagle tried to steal the lunch from the crane, one of the world's largest measuring 1.6m tall and with a wingspan of up to 2.5m.

The fight, which was watched from below by around 100 other cranes, lasted only a few seconds before the eagle admitted defeat and flew away – without the fish.

A red-crowned crane and an eagle take part in a spectacular mid-air fight over a fish as other birds watch on at a nature reserve in Japan

The two majestic birds used their feet to claw at each other after the eagle tried to snatch a fish from the much larger crane

The white-tailed eagle tried to steal a fish from the crane, one of the world's largest measuring 1.6m tall and with a wingspan of up to 2.5m

The fight, watched from below by around 100 other cranes, ended when the eagle admitted defeat and flew away – without the fish

Photographer Ciming Mei was at the Akan International Crane Centre, in Kushiro, Japan, a semi wild, semi-enclosed environment, when she saw the battle break out.

Miss Mei, 54, of Houston, Texas, said: 'The cranes are spectacular to watch as they dance, often in pairs but I really didn't expect the fight between a crane and an eagle.

'The centre feeds the cranes with fish at around 2pm while the eagles wait around in nearby trees and then come down to steal the fish.

'Most of the time they are very successful because they are so fast and the eagles don't normally fight back either.

'These two were fighting for the fish that were scattered on the snow by the centre employees.'

Photographer Ciming Mei was at the Akan International Crane Centre, in Kushiro, Japan, when she saw the battle break out

The eagles swoops down among the red-crowned cranes, an endangered species whose numbers total less than 3,000 in the world

She added: 'The eagle started the battle because it must have physically invaded the cranes while it was trying to steal the fish.

'The fight took place right above the other cranes. The crane won I think, because the eagle escaped empty-handed.

'I was so excited to have captured the moment that I didn't follow the crane to see what happened to the fish left on the snow.'

The red-crowned cranes, an endangered species whose numbers total less than 3,000 in the world, are fed in Kushiro from November to March when food for the animals is scarce.

Cranes dancing before the Eagle swoops down. Feeding the cranes at the centre during the colder months began in 1950 when severe winter storms meant food shortages almost drove the birds into extinction

The cranes are fed in Kushiro from November to March when food for the animals is scarce

Feeding the cranes during the colder months began in 1950 when severe winter storms meant food shortages almost drove the birds into extinction.

White tailed eagles, which also have a wingspan of around 2.5m and are around 1m tall, can sometimes be found waiting in nearby trees for the perfect moment to swoop down and steal some food.

Miss Mei said: 'The cranes are a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity and are an endangered species with most found in Asia.

'The tradition of feeding the cranes in Kushiro during the winter started in 1950 when severe winter storms meant the red-crowned cranes became almost extinct.