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<\/p>\nMany raptors will methodically and deliberately remove the intestinal tract of their prey before consuming it, a behavior that I’ve photographed several times with different species.\u00a0\u00a0In my research I’ve never been able to find out exactly\u00a0why this is done – there are multiple theories but apparently no definitive answers.<\/p>\n
Maybe they\u00a0tend to reject them because they “taste bad”, or because they “harbor harmful bacteria” or because they are filled with contents that are of “low food value”.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps it’s a combination of factors.<\/p>\n
Recently, to add to the confusion, I’ve come up with my own working theory.\u00a0 The intestines of vertebrates, particularly mammals such as the rodents that many of these raptors regularly prey on, tend to\u00a0 be infested with a variety of parasites – including worms such as intestinal\u00a0roundworms, flukes and tapeworms.\u00a0 The life cycles of many of these parasites are convoluted and complex but some of them lay thousands of eggs into the hosts intestinal contents every day.\u00a0 Eating those contents could have unpleasant consequences for predators so it seems logical to me\u00a0that selection pressure might preserve such a behavior.<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/1000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n While I was in SW Montana a few weeks ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew to a nearby post with a vole and started to eat it.\u00a0 It began by opening the vole and then removing and swallowing several\u00a0desirable morsels.\u00a0 Here\u00a0you see\u00a0an errant feather floating away in the breeze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0But then it paused for a few seconds, seeming to study the innards of the\u00a0vole, and then reached into the carcass and began to pull out a section of the small intestine…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1250. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0which it very deliberately dropped to the ground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Then it reached in again and this time it pulled out the rest of the small intestine, with the large intestine attached, and rejected that also.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n When the entire intestinal tract had been discarded the hawk consumed the rest of the vole.\u00a0 I assumed it would soon fly off so I removed my tc in preparation for take-off shots but the bird went in to “relax mode” for quite a while and gave me this “leg sticking out with foot clenched” pose that is so typical of many\u00a0raptors at rest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1250. f\/5.6, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps it felt like I do after a meal (lethargic)\u00a0because it stayed on the post for quite a while, allowing me to get closer and attach my tc for a few portraits.<\/p>\n This intestine rejecting behavior of raptors is something I’ve documented before with an\u00a0American Kestrel<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and a\u00a0Peregrine Falcon<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, if you’re interested.\u00a0 But be forewarned, both posts are\u00a0graphic.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many raptors will methodically and deliberately remove the intestinal tract of their prey before consuming it, a behavior that I’ve photographed several times with different species.\u00a0\u00a0In my research I’ve never been able to find out exactly\u00a0why this is done – there are multiple theories but apparently no definitive answers. Maybe they\u00a0tend to reject them because they “taste bad”, or because they “harbor harmful bacteria” or because they are filled with contents that are of “low food value”.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. Recently, to add to the confusion, I’ve come up with my own working theory.\u00a0 The intestines of vertebrates, particularly mammals such as the rodents that many of these raptors regularly prey on, tend to\u00a0 be infested with a variety of parasites – including worms such as intestinal\u00a0roundworms, flukes and tapeworms.\u00a0 The life cycles of many of these parasites are convoluted and complex but some of them lay thousands of eggs into the hosts intestinal contents every day.\u00a0 Eating those contents could have unpleasant consequences for predators so it seems logical to me\u00a0that selection pressure might preserve such a behavior. \u00a01\/1000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not set up, baited or called in While I was in SW Montana a few weeks ago this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew to a nearby post with a vole and started to eat it.\u00a0 It began by opening the vole and then removing and swallowing several\u00a0desirable morsels.\u00a0 Here\u00a0you see\u00a0an errant feather floating away in the breeze. \u00a0\u00a01\/1000. f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500…<\/p>\n![\"red](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/red-tailed-hawk-0711-ron-dudley1.jpg\" "\\"red")
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