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submitted 7 months ago by anon6789@lemmy.world to c/superbowl@lemmy.world

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A northern harrier catches up to a short-earred owl, knocks the small rodent (vole) she was carrying out of her grasp, and catches it's rapidly descending prize before it meets the ground. Harrier has been known to steal a vole froma short- eared owl in mid-air. This is an example of kleptoparasitism, which is when one bird steals another's food.

That vole can't catch a break! 😮

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[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago

Revenge!

Not the same photographer, so probably different birds. Still a great photo, and at least both species are keeping it even! 😆

Photo by Wendy Poole Levasseur

[-] LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz 11 points 7 months ago

Once I was lucky enough to watch this irl. An Osprey had caught a fish and was flying off when a bald eagle flew at the osprey and started swooping at it. The osprey dropped the fish and the eagle caught it mid air, then the osprey went on the offensive and got the fish back. It went back and forth like that for a couple minutes before the eagle finally flew off with the fish. They never once dropped the fish, just kept catching it mid air. One of the coolest things to get to see. Wish I had video of it, but this was before phone videos were worth bothering with.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

That would be so unforgettable, especially if they never dropped the fish! That's so lucky you got to see it!

[-] Bloodh0undJohnson@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

kleptoparasitism

Nice. I'll be able to work that into conversation easily.

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Replace the word landlord?

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

I was thinking the guy who raids the office fridge.

Disclaimer: was a landlord for 2 months. 🙃

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

... sure, you confess to one crime, but for how many years now are you raiding the office fridge every day??

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Lol, I admit nothing!

I am too germaphobe when it comes to food. I don't eat or drink anything even a family member has put their face in. Plus anything in an office fridge I consider to have been in there for at least 6 months! 🤢

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 6 points 7 months ago

Wow what a dickhead! I’d be livid 🫨

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

There are many reasons raptors are but typically social creatures, and this is a prime example.

Whoever brings home the calories lives to see another day!

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

It’s a bird eat ~~bird~~ vole world out there man

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

They're just fluffier dinosaurs!

[-] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Look at that vole. What an idiot.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

What do you mean voles can't fly?! 😮

[-] aluminium@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

This is album cover material

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Nature is metal!

[-] Chetzemoka@startrek.website 3 points 7 months ago

So mean!!

I've never seen this in real life, but I have seen like half a dozen sparrows chasing around a hawk that was stalking one of their nests. It was interesting to see the cooperation. "Not today, Satan!"

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Mobbing (the little birds chasing off the big ones) is very interesting to get into. It's one of the few things where animals of different species will work together for the same purpose!

[-] Chetzemoka@startrek.website 3 points 7 months ago

Hell yeah, little Jay, get it!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

I love jays, they are so quirky and badass.

[-] Chetzemoka@startrek.website 3 points 7 months ago

I adore my jays. I switched feeding strategies in my backyard to a trough-style feeder to make extra room for the little birds and prevent the Jays from bullying everyone else out.

One cool thing I've noticed is the Jays acting like a (very loud) lookout alarm for all the other species. The Jays scream, and everyone runs away and hides. I've seen it when the hawk comes poking around, and once when a cat found its way onto my deck.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Heck, the Jays have me trained at this point! Whenever I hear their...delightful voices...I look out the window to see who my new visitor is. They're nature's Ring cam!