Bird of Prey - Witnessing a Hawk Devour Its Prey

I am fortunate to witness majestic birds of prey in action such as a bald eagle catching a fish, or a sea eagle carrying its prey in the flight. However, it is rare to see them actually devouring their captured prey. Last Tuesday, an unexpected encounter at the botanic garden allowed me to witness a hawk devouring its prey live!

It was early evening, around 6:30pm. As I strolled along the red brick path at the Botanic Garden, continuous bird chirpings emanating from a big tree made me curious. Looking into the tree, I saw two or three birds flying up and down in the tree. Familiar with such scenes, I immediately suspected the presence of a large bird. Upon closer inspection, I saw a hawk engrossed in its meal—a bird it had captured. The hawk was fully focused on its dinner, occasionally pecking and tearing at the prey. However, it remained vigilant, periodically raising its head to scan its surroundings before resuming its feast.

As I stood there, captivated by the scene, a few other hikers on the trail also stopped, drawn by the live action on the tree branch. Some believed the hawk was dining on a chick, while another was more specific, claimed it was a baby waterhen. The frantic birds flying around the tree were likely the parent birds, helplessly witnessing the cruel fate of their offspring.

The last time I saw hawk eating its prey live, was three years ago, at north Texas. By pure luck, we got a close up view of a red-tailed hawk in action in a neighbor's front yard bush on June 14th: it was eating a mouse live, with one talon stepped on the mouse, using its sharp hooked beak biting into the mouse and teared its flesh... and also played with the mouse! When it noticed another mouse moving behind it along the foundation, it went after that mouse, flapping its wings clumsily in the confined space, but caught the mouse in a few seconds nevertheless. It had two mice under its foot now!

 

Identifying the hawk at the Botanic Garden was challenging due to the backlighting, and the resulting photo quality was less than optimal. However, using Google Lens and cross-referencing with the Singapore Bird list, it was likely a crested goshawk—a splendid avian predator.

While this sighting may not be extraordinary, I felt a sense of accomplishment from exploration and keen observation of my surroundings. The rare opportunity to witness a hawk devouring its prey reminded me of the intricate interactions that unfold in the natural world.