{"id":44216,"date":"2016-12-11T06:01:13","date_gmt":"2016-12-11T13:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=44216"},"modified":"2016-12-11T07:41:04","modified_gmt":"2016-12-11T14:41:04","slug":"do-raptors-ever-deliberately-drop-their-prey-in-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/11\/do-raptors-ever-deliberately-drop-their-prey-in-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Raptors Ever Deliberately Drop Their Prey In Flight?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I believe that they do and this Rough-legged Hawk is a case in point.<\/p>\n

Several raptor species drop prey or food\u00a0for known behavioral reasons – male Northern Harriers drop prey in flight to their mates who have come up from the nest to catch it in midair and Bearded Vultures deliberately drop big (up to 9 lb)\u00a0bones on rocks to break them open\u00a0so they can get at the nutritious\u00a0marrow.<\/p>\n

But here I’m talking about something else – a raptor in flight\u00a0with prey that has every intention of keeping and eventually eating that prey, but suddenly and deliberately drops it. Most raptorphiles have seen birds drop prey more than once (as I have) but the question becomes – was it accidental or deliberate. And if it was deliberate, why did they drop it?<\/p>\n

I believe it’s\u00a0often deliberate and they usually do it when the prey is a rodent that’s still alive and\u00a0is biting the feet or legs of its captor. Those little rodent incisors are nasty and they can inflict significant pain and damage.<\/p>\n

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\"rough-legged-hawk-1915b-ron-dudley\"<\/p>\n

1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS\u00a0USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, canvas added for composition,\u00a0not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s a Rough-legged Hawk with a vole it has just snatched along the causeway to Antelope Island. The bird picked up so much plant debris with the vole that the rodent is a little difficult to make out but its tail can be clearly seen along with the round ball of mammal fur.<\/p>\n

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\"rough-legged-hawk-1921-ron-dudley\"<\/p>\n

1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS\u00a0USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, canvas added for composition,\u00a0not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six frames later the hawk still has the vole clutched firmly in its talons but the question becomes – was it still alive?<\/p>\n

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\"rough-legged-hawk-1915-big-crop-ron-dudley\"<\/p>\n

When we compare huge crops of the\u00a0two previous images I see evidence that strongly suggests that it was<\/em> still alive. Here its tail is pointing upwards at an angle and we don’t see any feet but…<\/p>\n

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\"rough-legged-hawk-1921-big-crop-ron-dudley\"<\/p>\n

in the second image the tail is at a decidedly different angle and we now see one pink little foot stretched out behind. To me this strongly suggests the rodent was still alive and\u00a0struggling and, as rodents are prone to do, probably attempting to bite the foot that held it. We’ll never know for sure but…<\/p>\n

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\"rough-legged-hawk-1925b-ron-dudley\"<\/p>\n

1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS\u00a0USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

four frames later the hawk did drop the vole and its posture (legs extended down and talons spread widely open) tells me that it was done deliberately – probably because the\u00a0vole was biting the hawk’s foot.<\/p>\n

It kills me that the vole is just outside the frame.\u00a0I’d dearly love to have had both the hawk and the falling rodent in the image but I was very close to the bird and lucky to get what I did.<\/p>\n

From what I gather it’s common for prey (rodents especially)\u00a0to bite and even damage raptor feet and legs. Rehabbers and bird banders often tell stories about birds in their possession that show wounds that have been caused by such encounters with rodents. I suspect falconers could tell similar stories.<\/p>\n

If I ate voles and one in my hand was biting me I’d drop it in half of a\u00a0heartbeat – no matter how hungry I was. I’ve been bitten by small rodents several times over the years and it isn’t\u00a0an experience\u00a0I want to repeat.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n