A Hare stuck in my throat!! (Black-headed Heron swallows a Hare)

[marc]

One from the archives here.

I found this Black-headed Heron whilst we were photographing Crown Cranes flying in to the saltpan in the Sth Luangwa Nat Park- Zambia.
It was trying to swallow WHOLE this Scrub Hare it had caught and finally succeeded on it's fifth attempt!................something you don't see everyday.
Chichele Salt Pan, Sth Luangwa NP- Zambia.
Published in (now gone) Africa Geographic Birds & Birding.

Nikon D2Xs
Nikkor 300 VR f/2.8
f/4
1/1000s
ISO100

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Cheers
Marc

 

[gordon_g]

Wow...

 

[Icarus]

Exactly, wow!! Here in AZ, I've seen them eat gophers. They often spend time in irrigated fields catching them, but a bunny? Did he get it swallowed??

 

[Kathy G]

Cool capture Marc

 

[Callie]

Wonderful experience, Marc. Have seen a video recently of a gull doing the same with a rabbit. Unbelievable what can go down their throats

 

[marc]

Exactly, wow!! Here in AZ, I've seen them eat gophers. They often spend time in irrigated fields catching them, but a bunny? Did he get it swallowed??

@Icarus
Indeed, after it's 5th attempt.

Wonderful experience, Marc. Have seen a video recently of a gull doing rhe same with a rabbit. Unbelievable what can go down their throats

@Callie
What species of Gull? Please don't tell me it was a Seagull washed down with a packet of hot chips!

 

[Oztours]

Oh yeah, the gulls love their hot chips and that's a fact.

 

[Callie]

Marc, Peter ~ here is the URL, it is your common, garden variety gull, but of Keltish descent , methinks. We call the hot chips slaptjips, because it is soft and can bend.

You can Google gull eating rabbit too.
I have also seen an image from Holland, long ago on Flickr, where a Grey Heron downed a duck.

 

[marc]

Marc, Peter ~ here is the URL, it is your common, garden variety gull, but of Keltish descent , methinks. We call the hot chips slaptjips, because it is soft and can bend.

You can Google gull eating rabbit too.
I have also seen an image from Holland, long ago on Flickr, where a Grey Heron downed a duck.

These guys are much bigger than our standard coastal Seagulls Callie, hence why it wasn't a problem for them. Pretty amazing to see nonetheless.

 

[Callie]

These guys are much bigger than our standard coastal Seagulls Callie, hence why it wasn't a problem for them. Pretty amazing to see nonetheless.

I have only seen your Silver Gulls - dainty beauties. The gull downing the rabbit looks a bit like our Kelp gull, they are big guys, nearly 60 cm.

 

[Oztours]

That is unbelievable. Bet that bugger didn't fly for quite a few days after that.

 

[Robin]

That is unbelievable. Bet that bugger didn't fly for quite a few days after that.

No it hopped.....so sorry

 

[Yezdi]

Wow....awesome..