This vicious Sparrowhawk tries to kill a Cuckoo bird and doesn’t let it get off lightly. At one stage the feathers were literally flying….
Sparrowhawks are extremely efficient at catching small birds, and their diet consists almost exclusively of birds. Occasionally they may prey on bats. This Sparrowhawk felt particularly brave and took on a Cuckoo almost the same size! Sparrowhawks rely on the element of surprise and as such will often follow a regular route to get close to potential prey.
31-year-old, Organ Sabiepark, who works at Sabie Park just outside the Paul Kruger Gate, was able to capture this moment on film.
Organ tells LatestSightings.com about this interesting encounter: “I have the best job in the entire world! Being able to spend the whole day with wild animals, there is nothing quite like it.”
“This was the first time I had ever seen an eagle trying to kill something. I was working at the picnic site, as usual, when I heard a noise coming from nearby. I started looking around and suddenly spotted the Sparrowhawk strangling a Jacobin Cuckoo.”
“When I watched the sighting play itself out, I felt sad about what was happening! The Sparrowhawk was biting the Jacobin Cuckoo and trying to kill it, all while the cuckoo was fighting for its life and trying to escape.”
“In the end, after fighting extremely long and hard, the Cuckoo managed to get away. That was in some way a great relief.”