The Franklin-Turkey story is mostly myth. It’s also mostly based on misconceptions and misunderstandings. Franklin and many others were often confused by the behavior of the predator. His statements create an incomplete picture of the Eagle. Most raptors will steal food from others. Bald Eagles often fight with each other over food also. The raptor birds often fly off when confronted with smaller birds not because they are “scared” but because they don’t want to be bothered.
I watched two large turkey buzzards picking away at a groundhog or something. They both hopped back about 10 feet which I thought odd. Then down came a little hawk to pick at the groundhog. Once the hawk had grabbed a piece he went back to the top of the utility pole, and the huge buzzards hopped back in. They repeated this over and over. Was pretty interesting to watch.