armed with three inch long rapier talons
the hawke eagle is designed for aerial
interception
10 or more bats every evening
spurred on the horn bells
launch their aerial assault
but without the hawks grasping talons
it ends in frustration
time to consider a tactic better suited
to his hardware
he repositions as close as possible
to the streaming column of baths
with binocular vision to judge distance
and that precision beak
he needs to time it just right
he gives the first catch to his partner
he’ll grab a half dozen more bats
and they’ll be content
only now has the full behavior been
caught on camera
of all 54 species of hornbill the
oriental pied has the most
diverse diet
[Music]
[Applause]
