Picnic-site attendant Organ filmed the life-or-death struggle and sent his video and story to Latest Sightings. He recorded the incident at the Sabie Park Picnic Site, close to Kruger National Park’s Paul Kruger Gate.
Watch The Sighting:
Best Job In The World
According to Organ, he has the best job in the world as he “gets to spend the whole day with animals.” As such, he is privileged to witness unusual scenes like the one that unfolded in his video.
After investigating an unusual sound, he found a sparrowhawk attacking a Jacobin cuckoo and started filming. The sparrowhawk had pinned the cuckoo to the ground, its talons embedded in its prey’s lower belly.
Very Much Alive
The cuckoo was still very much alive, repeatedly squawking in distress. As the raptor looked down on its victim, it faced the cuckoo’s sharp beak, ready to peck if the raptor came too close.
Why The Spread Wings?
As seen in the image above, the sparrowhawk has its wings spread out. Birds of prey exhibit this behaviour, known as mantling, for various reasons.
Firstly, they can hide their prey from other raptors. Secondly, they might intimidate their prey and competitors by making themselves appear larger than they are.
Vicelike Talons
As the cuckoo fought to free itself, the sparrowhawk held on grimly. Hawks have an incredible grip strength for their size, thanks to specialised leg tendons that enable them to lock their talons in place.
Even after the cuckoo could get out from under the sparrowhawk, it could not move freely. The hawk was still holding one of the cuckoo’s feet.
However, the hawk is at a disadvantage. With its legs in use, it is unable to get any leverage over the similarly sized cuckoo.
As for the cuckoo, now on its back, a bleeding wound is visible on the upper breast.
Feather Plucking
Eventually, the sparrowhawk got into a ‘sitting’ position, enabling it to start pulling out the cuckoo’s fine belly feathers. On feeling the hawk’s tugging, the cuckoo redoubled its efforts to escape.
Initially, there seemed little the cuckoo could do as the feathers started to pile up.
Dominant
Having once again got into a dominant position, the hawk again mantled its wings to cover its prey.
At this, it seems the cuckoo realised it was now or never.
Using its remaining strength, it battered the hawk with its wings before attempting to kick the sparrowhawk away.
Unfortunately, the hawk’s talons retained their grip, and once again, the cuckoo lay at its mercy. Only the cuckoo’s sharp beak kept the hawk from delivering the finishing blow.
Final Flap For Freedom
Despite the massive effort, the cuckoo still had plenty of fight left. Once again, it flapped its wings for all it was worth.
Consequently, it managed to manoeuvre onto its belly. From this position, it could use its legs and therefore had better leverage.
With the hawk now holding on desperately, the cuckoo managed to drag itself along the ground, frantically flapping its wings.
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Free At Last
Organ said that just seconds after he stopped recording, the cuckoo managed to free itself. Without hesitation, it flew to the nearest thicket to nurse its wounds.
As for the little sparrowhawk, it was left to ponder the one that got away, all the while spitting out soggy feathers.
Birds In Action
Often overlooked, birds offer a wealth of interesting behaviour to observe on those days when the Big 5 are in hiding.
In the Greater Kruger, there are nearly 500 species on record, representing 60% of South Africa’s species list. With different species occupying every imaginable habitat, once you take an interest, you’ll never have a boring game drive again.