Predatory interactions with other carnivorous animals where the steppe eagles are victims are largely restricted to the vulnerable young, with the nest sites often being highly vulnerable due to their often accessible positions on mildly elevated ground. Like other Aquila eagles, when the nest is breached, parent steppe eagles may defend their nest but more often briefly flee on the wing. The steppe eagle parent, due presumably to the vulnerability of its nest site, may take longer to return to their nest than other related eagles, further exacerbating the likelihood of the young being lost. Hungry canids are often particularly detrimental predators, particularly red foxes, grey wolves (Canis lupus) and dogs (often herding and feral ones) and more infrequently other foxes and other carnivores like cats and their kin. An unexpected source of steppe eagle nestling mortality was found to be from the unusually aggressive pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) which attacked and killed two consecutive young eagles although never fed on them (possibly due to delayed displacement by the parent eagles). Apart from the vulnerable young on the nesting ground, steppe eagles appear to be seldom killed by natural predators. However, one was reported as the victim of a caracal (Caracal caracal) in Saudi Arabia (probably in a nighttime ambush). More often, the steppe eagle is the predator rather than victim in deadly contests against other predators. Besides the many aforementioned accounts of prey including carnivores like mustelids and foxes, steppe eagles can also on occasion kill other raptorial birds and seems to consider even quite formidable species as viable prey. In the Karaganda region alone, the local steppe eagles were recorded to prey on lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni), long-legged buzzards, Eurasian eagle-owls (Bubo bubo) and seven short-eared owls (Asio flammeus). In the Altai region, in addition to eagle-owls, the black kite has also been recorded as steppe eagle prey. In fact, the steppe eagle apparently is the only bird to have preyed upon Eurasian eagle-owls besides the golden eagle on multiple occasions. Although rarely observed to halt movements or to eat while migrating in Israel, one steppe eagle was seen to suddenly strike down and consume an adult common buzzard while both species were in passage there. A Brahminy kite that seen attempting to mob a steppe eagle in Tamil Nadu was observed to be killed by the eagle, while at least one other Brahminy there was also injured by an aggressive steppe eagle.