Crows steal rat stashed on tree branch

BICA members had a whale of a time photographing the Black-winged Kites at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore in early October 2022. A pair of Elanus scriptus were very active and successful hunting rodents in the area. They also displayed aerial transfer of food, much to the delight of the admiring crowd. The photo gallery below shows some excellent photographs captured on different days.

Image 1: Mid-air food transfer between Black-winged Kites. 8 October 2022. Photograph attribute to S.B. Lim

Image 2: A Black-winged Kite perched on a high branch and scanning the distance for prey. 10 October 2022. Photograph attribute to Jeremiah Loei.

Image 3: Two Black-winged Kites take off in flight. 9 October 2022. Photograph attribute Sangmen Wong.

Image 4: A Black-winged Kite making a sharp turn during flight while in pursuit of prey. 8 October 2022. Photograph attribute Sangmen Wong.

Image 5: A Black-winged Kite with a rat prey in the grasp of its claws. 5 October 2022. Photograph attribute Michael Kwee.

Image 6: Underside view of a Black-winged Kite with shrew prey. October 2022. Photograph attribute Gordon Koh.

Video by Jeremiah Loei showing House crows (Corvus splendens) stealing a rat prey that had been attached to the tree by the hunting Black-winged Kites (Elanus scriptus). Long-tailed Shrikes are known for impaling their prey to thorns https://besgroup.org/2010/01/11/long-tailed-shrike-impales-lizard/ ,however these Black-winged Kites have been observed to do the same.

View this clip by Jeremiah Loei that shows a Black-winged Kite hovering in the air and then finally diving down for the kill.

https://youtube.com/shorts/7J4W2wGvOdE

This post is a cooperative effort between http://Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia (Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia) and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behaviour through photography and videography to a wider audience.

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