Rare Picture: Blackbird "Rides" Hawk

The two birds were likely involved in a mid-air tussle, expert says.


By Stefan Sirucek, National Geographic



PUBLISHED AUGUST 04, 2015

Talk about a bird's eye view—a red-winged blackbird was recently photographed "riding" atop a red-tailed hawk.


A visitor to the DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges in Iowa and Nebraska recently snapped an incredible photograph, which wasreleased today by the U.S. Department of the Interior.


But if the photograph seems too good to be true, that’s because it probably is, experts say.


“I don’t believe that it’s a bird taking a ride—I think it was just a well-timed shot,” says refuge manager Tom Cox.


Cox said the picture most likely captures a perfect moment during a fight between a blackbird and a hawk—and that blackbirds attacking and harassing hawks is actually quite common.

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