There is never a good time to be the victim of a vicious attack at the claws of a larger and stronger bird, but this is exactly what happened for this unfortunate owl, when it found itself targeted by a large hawk.
This avian encounter between a pale chanting goshawk and a southern white-faced owl was spotted by Garth Cook in Mata Mata, a rest camp in the Kgalagadi National Park.
Duck And Weave
The owl had taken shelter in the tangled branches of a tree, and it was there that it had decided to make its last stand. With its head hunkered down and its feathers all sticking out as far as it could make them, it was desperately trying to make itself an unappealing target.
It was clearly very aware of the threat that the goshawk posed, but it made no attempt to escape. Perhaps it was only aware of the threat because the hawk had already attacked, and now it had no other options than to make itself look as big and threatening as possible.
The age of this owl isn’t known. Due to the color of its eyes and face it would appear to be an adult, but the softer feathers around its head would suggest it was young, or that it had already been in a scuffle.
Danger From Above
While the owl did what it could without moving, the hawk loomed threateningly above it, lurking in the higher branches and just waiting for an opportunity to descend upon its prey.
In only a few seconds it had moved as fast as lightning to the branch just next to the unfortunate owl, where it began its attack by kicking at the owl with its sharp talons. At first it looked like it was attempting to dislodge the owl from its perch.
Instantly Overpowered
From its position up close and personal with the owl, the hawk continued to kick, and it quickly became clear that it was actually attempting to grab the persecuted bird.
Eventually, it was successful with this goal and it seized the owl, either by the neck or head, and held it powerfully in place in the tree, amidst a great flurry of feathers flying in every direction.
The hawk dragged the owl along several branches, potentially trying to fly away with it, but the owl struggled for its very life against the sharp claws of its attacker.
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Fighting For The Right To Survive
The situation didn’t appear to be favorable for the owl. The hawk appeared to be stronger, larger, and more ferocious. Nevertheless the owl had won a few more moments of freedom, but it could do nothing except stay in the tree and look shocked.
The owl made no attempt to escape, perhaps knowing that any such effort would be futile. Garth’s footage doesn’t show how the encounter ended, but he sent Latest Sightings the story claiming the hawk eventually killed the unfortunate owl.