Pelican Boldly Steals Fish From Osprey Midflight in Stunning Aerial Battle

Nature is red of tooth and claw, as the old saying goes. But also, it is red of beak, as the skillful predatory instincts of so many bird species prove. When one thinks of ruthless avian hunters, the bird species that come most readily o mind are raptors like hawks, eagles, owls and ospreys. But don’t forget pelicans in their number. They can be bold and vicious too.

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In this video a pelican flies up behind an osprey who has just caught a fish and, in a stunning move, manages to wrest the tasty morsel from the raptor’s taloned grip.

Related: Photographer’s Footage of Mama Osprey Protecting Her Babies in Florida Storm Is Majestic

Writes photographer Mark Smith, who managed to capture this exciting clip: “The pelicans have been extra bold lately, trying their hardest to snatch a free meal from the ospreys. They are rarely successful, but this time the pelican managed a very clever sneak attack from behind.”

Though pelicans are fully capable of fishing for themselves, this group of pelicans in Florida have apparently taken to harassing and shaking down the ospreys and trying to steal their catch.

Of course, it was only luck that he was able to catch the osprey at a vulnerable moment.

“The osprey, thinking it was free and clear, tried to shake off the water weight from the dive, and that little pause was all it took for the hungry pelican to close the gap and its gaping maw around the osprey’s catch,” writes the photographer. “It’s crazy out there sometimes.”

The whole thing happens so quickly that the fish is still wriggling inside the gullet of the pelican once he’s landed back in the water. What a dramatic meal!

All About Pelicans

Brown pelicans are a small species of pelican found with great regularity along Atlantic coastline from New Jersey down into South America and also throughout the Gulf region and all over the Caribbean. They gather in large flocks, breed monogamously, and subsist almost entirely on fish.

Pelicans are notable for their large throat pouch which they use to scoop fish up out of the water. They also have webbed feet which help them paddle through the water.

Though skillful hunters themselves, this pelican is not the only bird of its species who has been witnessed stealing food from ospreys. This fish piracy between birds is in fact a commonly occurring phenomenon.

All About Ospreys

Ospreys are one of the most widespread species of raptor, living all over the world where there is a large body of water with an adequate food society. Traditionally known as the seal hawk or river hawk, the osprey is a brown and white raptor who lives on fish and had a variety of body modification s that make it particularly suited for its lifestyle.

Its plumage is oily and water-resistant to help it from becoming waterlogged. (In fact, the bird in this video is shaking water from its feathers, which slows it down enough for the pelican to make its move.) Ospreys also have barbs on their talons to help them hang on to fish that they have caught, as well as extra joints to help them hold their talons spread wide to grab fish of many sizes and shapes.

But though catching may be easy—keeping their catch might be harder, especially with pelicans lying in wait.

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