Ever heard the phrase "out of the frying pan into the fire"? Well for this tiny bird filmed in South Africa's Kruger National Park it was a case of "out of the hawk's claws into the croc's jaws".
The footage was captured by tourist Juan Geyser on a recent visit to Sunset Dam – a popular drinking hole in the south of the reserve. While positioned at the water's edge, Geyser noticed a juvenile African harrier hawk rummaging through a cluster of weaver's nests. "I took my camera out hoping to capture some action and was not disappointed," he explained to Latest Sightings. "I watched in amazement as this little bird fled the nest in fear and landed on the water like a little bobbing rubber duck."
Waterlogged and unable to fly, the bird – which looks to be a juvenile lesser masked weaver – began paddling towards the shoreline. But the commotion in the water quickly drew the attention of a young crocodile swimming nearby and the predator moved in for an easy meal. "In the blink of an eye, the weaver was gone as the croc swallowed him whole," Geyser explained.
Crocodiles feed primarily on fish, but like all opportunistic predators, they will readily snatch other prey if it strays within jaw's length. Unfortunately for this weaver, it's watery escape route from the raptor proved fatal. "I felt sorry for the bird but this was what we had come to see: wildlife in action," Geyser adds.
Header image: Pandiyan V
Predator vs Prey
Predator vs Prey
Predator vs Prey
