One Versatile Hawk

[Elton]

WARNING: THIS LINK SHOWS A BIRD KILLING ANOTHER BIRD. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT SORT OF THING, DO NOT CLICK ON IT.

 

Incredible bit of footage, and you get the impression the hawk has used this method before!

 

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9fb_1322411589

[Chris Plumb]

Clever Hawk...

 

C.

[chesters1]

shocking! that really bright red hurt my eyes

[corydoras]

Incredible bit of footage, and you get the impression the hawk has used this method before!

I'll bet you a pound to a penny that the hawk did not do that on purpose.

[Colin Brett]

I'll bet you a pound to a penny that the hawk did not do that on purpose.

 

I'm not so sure. Had the self same thing happen in my back garden. Sparrowhawk took a Starling and then took it to my water scrape and proceeded to drown it.

[ayjay]

Sparrow-hawks and Marsh Harriers are both known for this behaviour.

 

I've also seen a Bonxie drown a Redshank.

[Phone]

Cory,

 

You've hit on a mistake I often make. Sparrow Hawks do that in America as well. Althought it is probably "instinctive" and not "thoughtout"

 

Few creatures other than humans "reason" and none (IMO) do "if - then" reasoning.

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

As others have said, this sort of thing has been reported before. Birds "learn" all sorts of ways to get food - lammergeirs learn to drop bones onto rock to smash them into pieces they can then swallow, together with any bone marrow exposed. - blue tits learn to open milk bottles left on the doorstep. - woodpecker learn to drill into nest boxes, etc etc

 

Have never seen a bird drown another though, although I once saw a mink chase a moorhen along a river bank, and having caught it, jump with it into the river and hold it underwater until it stopped struggling.