Small Bullsnake kills Hawk considerably larger than itself

eminart · 07-27-14, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FWK

Alright something about the way the bird appeared to be paralyzed then suddenly sprang to life and flew away was bothering me so I did a little looking. I found several other reports and videos of snake vs hawk encounters and the hawks always showed the same behavior. But I couldn't find any information on hawks playing dead. Anybody heard of such a thing? A snake isn't going to hold on forever, once the constricted bird stops moving the snake will let go and move on. Maybe these birds can play dead to avoid being killed by a snake that is to big to handle?

Well, I'm a licensed falconer, and I have quite a bit of experience with trapping wild red tailed hawks. And I've had daily interaction with my own hawks for the past 3 years.

Two things are at play here:

1. The hawk was probably half asphyxiated and it took a few seconds to recover.

2. Hawks will go into kind of a shock when they're captured and see no escape. They go out of flight mode, and go into this shock-like state where they won't take their eyes off the predator. They sit frozen, wings out, mouth agape, and often limp and on their backs. It's kind of like a frozen threat display. Once the predator backs off a bit, or gives them enough time, they snap out of it, and go back into flight mode - as you saw when this particular hawk flew off.

Here's a photo of a wild hawk that was trapped less than an hour earlier. She's recovered enough to stand on the glove, which sometimes takes a while. They're kind of limp-noodle for a bit. But, you can see she's still just staring me down instead of trying to escape.

franks · 07-27-14, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eminart

Well, I'm a licensed falconer, and I have quite a bit of experience with trapping wild red tailed hawks. And I've had daily interaction with my own hawks for the past 3 years.

Two things are at play here:

1. The hawk was probably half asphyxiated and it took a few seconds to recover.

2. Hawks will go into kind of a shock when they're captured and see no escape. They go out of flight mode, and go into this shock-like state where they won't take their eyes off the predator. They sit frozen, wings out, mouth agape, and often limp and on their backs. It's kind of like a frozen threat display. Once the predator backs off a bit, or gives them enough time, they snap out of it, and go back into flight mode - as you saw when this particular hawk flew off.

Um... who cares about any of that anymore- you are a liscenced Falconer? That is so awesome. How does one get into that?

eminart · 07-27-14, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franks

Um... who cares about any of that anymore- you are a liscenced Falconer? That is so awesome. How does one get into that?

Haha. Well, it's not the easiest sport to get into. You have to find a licensed falconer willing to take you on as their apprentice for two years. You must pass a written exam, and have your facilities/equipment inspected by the USFWS. Your sponsor guides you along with your first bird(s) for at least two years, when you're eligible to upgrade to "general".

It is a life-consuming "hobby". From Oct through March, I take my hawk hunting almost every day. And, there's constant feeding and care through the off season.

FWK · 07-27-14, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eminart

Haha. Well, it's not the easiest sport to get into. You have to find a licensed falconer willing to take you on as their apprentice for two years. You must pass a written exam, and have your facilities/equipment inspected by the USFWS. Your sponsor guides you along with your first bird(s) for at least two years, when you're eligible to upgrade to "general".

It is a life-consuming "hobby". From Oct through March, I take my hawk hunting almost every day. And, there's constant feeding and care through the off season.

Yeah falconry is awesome. I looked into it a few years ago but the level of commitment was just to much for me. That's a hobby I'll never have time for. Unfortunately

So I'm very jealous eminart. The look on your birds face is hilarious by the way. The "shocked" state you describe is interesting, I'll have to do some more studying.

franks · 07-27-14, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eminart

Haha. Well, it's not the easiest sport to get into. You have to find a licensed falconer willing to take you on as their apprentice for two years. You must pass a written exam, and have your facilities/equipment inspected by the USFWS. Your sponsor guides you along with your first bird(s) for at least two years, when you're eligible to upgrade to "general".

It is a life-consuming "hobby". From Oct through March, I take my hawk hunting almost every day. And, there's constant feeding and care through the off season.

That is awesome. Can you post a picture of your bird for us?

eminart · 07-27-14, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franks

That is awesome. Can you post a picture of your bird for us?

Sure, I have tons of photos. Sorry for hijacking the thread though.

Here's a few. This is the same hawk in my post above, after she got past hating me.

BryanB · 07-27-14, 09:09 PM

The only thing I can add is the fact that birds have a very different respiratory system and it is very east to cut of there air by pushing on their chest however it is almost impossible to choke one around the neck.
Oh and beautiful red tail I have a couple friends that falcon for sport and I have rehabbed a ton of bird of prey as well as exotic birds