Buzz
Humans aren’t the sole creatures that stockpile food. Squirrels are famous for hoarding acorns for winter, while shrikes, also known as butcherbirds, store their prey by skewering them on thorns or barbed wire fences. This makes it easier to consume, share, or even attract mates. However, the Eleonora’s Falcon takes this behavior to another level. These Mediterranean raptors capture and imprison their prey while it’s still alive.
Throughout most of the year, these falcons primarily feed on insects. However, during late summer and fall—when migratory birds pass through their territory and the falcons are raising their young—they expand their diet to include small birds. Researchers conducting a long-term study in Morocco observed this unique behavior during the falcons’ bird-hunting season, documenting a strategy never before seen in birds of prey.
Rather than killing their prey immediately, the falcons pluck the flight feathers from the wings and tails of the smaller birds. They then stuff the immobilized prey into narrow rock crevices, trapping them alive for several days. Unable to move or escape, the prey remains confined until the falcons retrieve, kill, and consume them.
The researchers suggest that the falcons imprison their prey for reasons similar to other food-storing animals: to capitalize on a temporary abundance of food they may not immediately consume. On the arid Moroccan coast, keeping prey alive is essential, as dead carcasses would rapidly desiccate in the dry heat. Additionally, this strategy might provide falcon chicks with the chance to hone their hunting skills by practicing on live prey.
