Sharp-shinned Hawk Killing a European Starling 2015

Watch as this sharp-shinned hawk kills this starling in my Topeka Kansas yard.
Equipment Used to Make this Video
(Camera) Canon PowerShot SX50 amzn.to/2G6OgGH
(Tripod) Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 055 amzn.to/2oTp7Yq
(Head) Manfrotto 128RC Micro Fluid Head amzn.to/2FFO9Ep
On Mar 19 2015, I heard the starling screeching so set up my camera. I'm amazed at how difficult it is for the little hawk to kill the starling. European starlings are an invasive species in North America and compete negatively with many of our native cavity nesting birds.
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[@LostWoodsman76]

Give that hawk a medal.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Best comment I've seen n I'm lol.

[@georgiabirds-tt8jz]

YES

[@kartz2010]

That's exactly how starlings kill smaller birds! I've read about how starlings attack a woodpecker in pairs and gorge it's eyes out & decimate the babies of other bird species. So in a way the starlings deserve this... taste of their own medicine.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Starling are super aggressive. I have to agree with you.

[@biggiesmol]

Good job! Those starlings are an invasive pest!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Thank you. Hope to teach more people about their invasive aggressive nature and the damage that they do.

[@F.J._Claes]

You are an invasive species too.

[@realheadhunters-gtav]

We need more of this!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I couldn't agree more!

[@kaleoy7584]

Starling accepted its fate and then watched the process of being eaten alive.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It's tough being a prey species.

[@sahir313]

Bankers do the same

[@anthonywilliams8956]

I have no sympathy for starlings. Awesome video!

[@biggiesmol]

Ikr!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Thank you. Lol

[@koiboybud-dbee4556]

Hawk: Hold still dangit, I'm trying to clean you.

[@markmoore4088]

At the end of the video the starling clamped it's feet around each leg of the hawk like it knew it was going for a ride. I like hawks but the thought of getting eaten alive really creeps me out!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I believe that is just the muscle reflexes occurring after death.

[@MzChelxoxo]

It’s just the muscle reflexes. The hawk suffocated the starling by pressing down on the bird chest.

[@davidvalesano3798]

I was kind of thinking the same thing like is it still alive

[@qp3105]

I agree it appears to be clamping its feet. Also starting at 4:05 it appears the legs are moving. I think it was alive during this ordeal 🧐

[@myytchannel6632]

The hawk freaked out too and flew off with the starling not intentionally

[@octapusxft]

During the first minute the hawk really had to be careful of that Starlings beak. Starlings can be really savage

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You said it. They use their beak to attack native birds in North America and steal their nests. They use it like a dagger.

[@octapusxft]

@@BackyardBirdsUS So they are basically a swarm of flying street thugs!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Worse than thugs. Every starling is a nuisance.

[@user-op6vy3gg2b]

Cruel nature. But I am watching it with utmost interest.

[@jackedavocado8689]

Nature watching nature.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It's truly fascinating. I've never seen anything like this since.

[@yengvang8737]

We're part of nature.

[@williamjaeger5506]

I had a coopers hawk kill a starling right out side our dinning room window. It was much more humane. it decapitated the starling and flew of with the headless body! Great video!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

That's always an amazing thing to see. I too had them catch starlings. Thanks for watching.

[@gamingwithpeete2164]

I’m guessing the starling was gonna go into the trap but failed! Cool video!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Yes i think so. And I'm glad. Lol.

[@VanIyke]

Starlings and Jackdaws deserve the grief they dish out.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

We don't have Jack daws in america. Are they native where you are?

[@anthonywilliams8956]

Amen

[@gildardomolina308]

Peregrine Falcon MAIN FOCAL SPECIES Powerful and fast-flying, the Peregrine Falcon hunts medium-sized birds, dropping down on them from high above in a spectacular stoop. They were virtually eradicated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning in the middle 20th century. After significant recovery efforts, Peregrine Falcons have made an incredible rebound and are now regularly seen in many large cities and coastal areas.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

This is not a falcon it's an accipiter. Falcons are amazing though.

[@lohikarhu734]

The hawk has to avoid that needle-sharp beak, or IT could die, and it depends on asphyxiating the starling, until it's weak enough to safely "dig into" its dinner... sadly, for the prey, this one seems to keep breathing for too long. The hawk is hungry, might have chicks, or a mate, to feed. I don't think starlings worry too much about their prey (often, other species chicks), while dining....

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I agree, the starlings bill is a dangerous weapon.

[@daniellehner1383]

Unfortunately for the starling. Great capture! That's how nature works.

[@MagicPlants]

this is exactly what they do to other birds

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Yes I agree

[@facedown9754]

Fantastic! ❤

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I find this so amazing. Pure luck I got to witness it.

[@outdoorztime2923]

Ahhh... for the record, I do NOT want to be hawk bait. We had a Coopers Hawk get a Dark-eyed Junco one year. It didn't take it long at all to devour that little bird.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Sorry to hear it

[@M21L35]

I assume the Sharpie pretty much took the Starling by absolute surprise, just overwhelming it. Had that NOT been the case, one well-aimed sharp peck by the Starling into the Sharpie's eye & things might've turned out quite different. Hard to watch Nature taking its course here w/the Sharpie more worried about eating than it is about first dispatching the luckless Starling. Note the Starling's death grip on the Sharpie's shanks to the bitter end! Went out like a true fighter!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I thought the same thing. The starlings bill is a weapon. And it kept trying to get the sharpie.

[@pigeonboi6577]

I guess this hawk wants to reduce the starling numbers to

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

One at a time.

[@mutinymarine3049]

It appears that you have some sort of bird trap in the background. Do you get to see the birds of prey a lot with trapped birds in a cage? I trap sparrows and starlings and get a wide variety of them.

[@hanjd1963]

Mutiny Marine Yes, I trap both starlings and house sparrows. I also feed the birds, so get plenty of birds in my yard. This in turn attracts the hawks.

[@selbelis]

+Jeff Hansen How do you make sure you only trap the pest birds? I'd be worried about catching a native bird.

[@hanjd1963]

+selbelis I catch native birds sometimes. But the beauty of the trap is it is a LIVE TRAP. when a native bird is caught, just open the door and let it fly free. But it is important that you monitor the trap. You can't just bait it and forget about it.

[@frankcucci454]

Where was this?

[@frankcucci454]

***** cool. I just had my coopers hawk hunting in my yard today

[@EdmondForster68]

The hawk's concentrating around the chest, where the heart & lungs're situated.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Interesting observation

[@EdmondForster68]

Better late than never to be observant.

[@EngelSpiel]

At around 1:47, I think I can hear a Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

[@hanjd1963]

I also hear blue jays and red-winged blackbirds

[@glennw7118]

I said the same thing.

[@fattylovehandles8819]

the hawk is like... u took everything from me..... and the starling is like... i dont even know WHO U R ???

[@suenewland7852]

How do you know this is a sharp-shinned as opposed to cooper's? It looks kind of large.

[@markmoore4088]

***** Nice video. Looks like a juvenile female Sharpie alright.

[@frankblangeard8865]

The corners of the tail are fairly squared which indicates a sharp-shinned. Coopers have more rounded corners of the tail. And it is definitely a juvenile based on coloration. Both sharp-shinned and coopers juveniles have yellow eyes whereas the adults have red eyes.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You really know your stuff!

[@jasonpatterson8091]

The head shape is very much sharp shinned instead of cooper's. Cooper's have a blocky head; sharpies are round.

[@PeterThieledigital]

This is a snuff film.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I had to look that up. I never heard the term Not quite a snuff film though.

[@chinimon8259]

I get the joke 🤣🤣😂😂 brits love thir snuff lolo even their birds snuffing feathers lol

[@Mandolin1944]

Great bit of video!! But IMHO this hawk lookstoo big to be a Sharp-shined Hawk? I think it is an immature male Cooper's Hawk. Rule of thumb is if it Blue Jay-sized it is a Sharpie but Crow-sized it is a Coop.

[@markmoore4088]

Juvenile female sharpie.

[@markmoore4088]

Your rule of thumb is fine for male sharpies and female Cooper's but female sharpies are larger than bluejays and male Cooper's are considerably smaller than crows.

[@kpittsmtb]

100% Sharp-shinned juvenile

[@jasonpatterson8091]

It's a juvenile female sharp shinned hawk. The head shape is all wrong for a Cooper's.

[@randomidiot50]

That’s a bird deterrent, a pile of feathers, no more starlings now

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I love it.

[@Ibelonged2Takeo]

I was surprised how camera man still film when hawk killing other bird

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Of course. Not going to help a starling escape. And the hawk needs to eat, so good it was the invasive European starling, a real pest to our native birds.

[@alvinshakoor787]

I hear a blue jay in the background i bet he can't mess with it

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I wonder what he was thinking. I don't think the hawk would try to take a Blue jay

[@richardforetich]

It looks like blood on the beak of the starling. It may have stabbed the hawk.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It probably did. They use the beak as a weapon.

[@JuanTorres-ow2ob]

Hes giving him a european starling wax

[@lostsolace8612]

Know its nature, but always sad seeing anything suffer like that. R.I.P. Your struggle is finally over.

[@BorntoYeet]

Naw not for European starlings, they're invasive and hurt alot of the native bird population.

[@YumegakaMurakumo]

Lol I lmfaoed fu ck starlings. Disgusting, obnoxious, destructive, bully bird species

[@kingexplosionmurderfuckoff9376]

@@BorntoYeet And? It's the humans fault.

[@BorntoYeet]

@@kingexplosionmurderfuckoff9376 it is, 100% but these birds are extremely aggressive and harmful. It broke my heart when I set up a Birdhouse and discovered the house finches (a native bird) that took residence had all of their babies KILLED by these things. They didn't even take the nest. I taught those pest a lesson though. Had

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It is gruesome.

[@humbertoc4710]

Ja criei um desse espécie carijo e otimo para espanta pombo e roedores

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Awesome for you

[@mauricioramirez8584]

It's amazing to see how this hawk kill this bird .

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I agree. I'm not sure how he/she did it. I always wondered what became of this hawk. They are only here in the winter and this was a juvenile bird.

[@chateaupig826]

He had pinned the starling down in a good position unfortunately I see at the end the starling had grabbed his legs & the hawk had trouble getting released

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

They use their feet to attack native birds in the nest too.

[@jasonpatterson8091]

@@chateaupig826 The hawk was struggling a bit with the starling at the end, but it would have had no problem getting back in control in short order. Worst case scenario it could easily have broken the starling's legs or feet and pulled them off of its own legs. Its only struggle would have been to avoid getting flustered and making a scene that would get it mobbed by other birds (like crows or similar.)

[@gullybop1695]

I'm sure that bird can't breathe well with the weight of the other bird on his chest.

[@gullybop1695]

@Jamie Koering What point? There was a point??

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I think so too

[@cloudforest4087]

That was some bog bird attack.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Cool stuff huh

[@cmartel4567]

I have a large purple Martin colony- 50 pairs. Sharpies showed up last year. Impressive, beautiful bird. An A10 in low level flight. Going to try to confuse them with decoys this year.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It could also be a Cooper's hawk. They are hard to tell apart. What became of your hawk and martins? BTW, thank you for tending to a martin colony. The world needs more people like you!

[@areyouavinalaughisheavinal5328]

wow... 2:52 I notice the feathers accumulating there, there have been times I've been out and found a gathering of feathers like that and assumed it was a fox or something... but no, considering the fact I've only ever seen Kestrel around these parts, would a Kestrel do that plucking behaviour before carrying meat away? Do Kestrel even go for other birds? I mean they hover a lot looking for mice, voles and rats etc, I never had Kestrels down for being bird hunters too... but why not. Sure looks very Kestrel like.

[@frankblangeard8865]

Kestrels used to be named 'sparrow hawks'.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Good question. I think kestrels might take young birds but mostly they eat insects

[@fattylovehandles8819]

it would be cool if starling could be the new chicken.... i came here because watching the Ozarks

[@YumegakaMurakumo]

Fr! 😆 lol I have a feeling that they taste gamey unfortunately...

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I think you are right. Many wild animals don't really like them.

[@charlesbyrne71]

Starling won't be missed. Bad birds to native species.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You said it!

[@pendragonxt3674]

Luckily for us, we’ve got these hawks to take down invasive species. The Hawk and other birds of prey are built to take down these aggressive petrol colored birds. Sure, it isn’t easy, especially considering how violent these birds are, but the hawk and the other birds of prey get the job done.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Wish they did it more often

[@billsomrak]

Good riddance to another damn Starling!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Well said. They are a menace in North America.

[@billsomrak]

@@MissMarshall Starlings are bully birds - the 'thugs' of the bird world. If there are some small sparrows or other small birds, enjoying a crust of bread, the starlings will land in a group, chase off the smaller birds, take their food, and then fight over it .. gluttons that they are. If it weren't illegal to discharge a shotgun in the neighborhood, I'd eliminate as many packs of these 'thug' birds as I could. They remind me of the current rioters & looters, preying on the weak, and wreaking havoc. As I said ... good riddance to any dead starling.

[@billsomrak]

@@MissMarshall Typical response from a bleeding heart liberal. Show me where I said that I would shoot looters & thugs. I only said that STARLINGS remind me of looters & thugs. Go back to your fairy-tale world/existence, where there is no evil anywhere.

[@KenKen-ui4ny]

@@billsomrak Starlings are just trash birds in general, or flying rats in other words, not only they terrorize and steal from other songbirds, along with raiding out your bird feeders, their filthy too like pigeons, which is another invasive species trash bird.

[@alm.1457]

Damn he choked the life out of him

[@xavierhorn9825]

More like caused internal bleeding with its talons

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Xavier Horn I think is correct. I also wonder if the starling goes into shock?

[@jasonpatterson8091]

@@xavierhorn9825 Exactly - each toe has a needle sharp claw that is about 1/4" long on it. They'll penetrate human skin easily, and that starling's skin is paper thin. None of those squeezes were hitting its heart or lungs - their breast muscle is too thick for that, but just imagine getting stabbed over and over and over again while someone lays on your chest and keeps you from getting a real breath. They just lose the energy to fight.

[@TheReefRobber]

I’d like to see a billion more killed in this way!! I subbed and liked.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Thank you kind sir.

[@TheReefRobber]

Backyard Birds you’re welcome. Also feel free to check out my channel if you care to.

[@randomidiot50]

That’s my man right there

[@victorianera2542]

Was he (she?) actually "plucking " before dinner? Ugh...slow death is never desired

[@jasonpatterson8091]

They don't have a good way to quickly kill their prey like members of the falcon family do, so they typically maim them and then just start eating. The starling was alive the entire time - you could see it blinking and trying to breath.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Thanks for informing people of these aggressive birds.

[@tc1817]

These small hawks are really shitty at killing other birds. It takes them forever. The title of this video is slightly misleading..I mean the starling dies but the hawk here just eats it before the starling is dead. I saw a peregrine falcon smash a duck once and it was all over in an instant.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I have to agree with you. I think the prey must die of shock.

[@Komannd0s]

the title is wrong, it was still alive.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Not sure what you mean, The hawk is in the process of killing the starlings to eat it.

[@user-ii7wr5hc5m]

This is young sparrowhawk

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

We call them sharp shinned Hawks

[@Tigerpuffer]

I wish we had more accipiters up my way... we have way too many starlings. Starlings are a fascinating and beautiful bird in their own right, but they're an ecological disaster in North America. Every starling eaten by a hawk could be another nest of eastern bluebird or red headed woodpecker that gets to successfully hatch and produce offspring. It's sad to see any animal die like this, but you have to marvel at the hawk... a songbird catching machine, a master of its trade, nature's tiniest executioner.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I have to agree. There accipiters are amazing. So many people hate them for catching birds but it is what they do and they do it well.

[@elliotweaver5805]

Good for the hawk!! We need a team of these around here!! Starlings are growing every year, unfortunately

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I agree. Wish they caught more

[@rollandriehn6404]

Mother Nature is NOT warm and fuzzy.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Pretty gruesome

[@theamazinghippopotomonstro9942]

Welcome to North America!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Well said. I love it.!

[@sammyvh11]

Its a war in those trees

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Accipters mostly eat birds. The sharp-shinned hawk is an accipter.

[@mike5556]

I like the way it let the Starling suffer! I imagine if the bluebirds and swallows feel the same when starlings are killing them?

[@hanjd1963]

mike5556 I hear you. I was worried the starling wouldn't die at the talons of the hawk. Starlings are so ruthless.

[@mike5556]

Jeff Hansen Which is why I shot 9 of them the other day! Of course these ugly, greedy pigs can decimate my feeders and homemade suet, I hate the House Sparrow even more. They killed my Martin eggs one year just to eliminate competition!

[@mike5556]

+Candid New England Keep up the good work! What kind of air rifle do you use? I use a Hastan 25 cal.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You said it!

[@Liger._King]

I never knew that starlings were ruthlessly carnivorous; I mean, every bird has carnivorous tendency. They look so gentle, though I've read from so many people who calls them rats of the sky.

[@nonnez324]

Yeah, I have watched Starlings pull baby bird of many types out of nests and eaten them . . . Nature is brutal . . . period

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I've never seen that. I know grackles will eat other birds eggs.

[@nonnez324]

@@BackyardBirdsUS My parents had a shed that Sparrows nested in all along the top of the door. The Starlings would hunt that daily. They also had bird boxes elsewhere in their yard with Various birds . . . same thing.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Interesting. Love to see footage of this.

[@johannaliebhauser-haferkam1049]

Good I have one of these hawks hanging around . I hate starlings . They are nasty birds.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Good for you and your hawk.

[@brianmurray2514]

me watching like 'YA u GET em! get that EVASIVE bird& baby bird killing bitch', Mr Hawk I applaud ur attempt at deteriorating their #s I shall crown this SUPERSTAR hawk Tony Hawk

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Love it!

[@lps6257]

Жестоко

[@amkelle2]

Damn nature, you scary

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Pretty real

[@jedbowser3158]

Lucky you for being able to see this.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I was so lucky to it. Having a yard full of birds does bring in the predators though.

[@audia9landyacht60]

Sparrow hawk

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Known as a sharp shinned hawk now.

[@pandaman9498]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it 2 scarry

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It is. But amazing to witness.

[@NordicHealer]

I don't like that the Accipiters eat their prey alive until it dies. Falcons at least break the neck of their prey and bring about a quick clean death in most cases.

[@xavierhorn9825]

A majority of Accipiters (At least from what I've seen of Eurasian sparrowhawks and Cooper's hawks) try to kill as fast as possible, but use their feet instead of their beaks, causing internal bleeding in the prey and piercing important organs

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Xavier Horn, I love that you are sharing your knowledge with everyone. You are ALL THAT.

[@ck.youtube]

Gosh, it's cruel to see some big bully pin down a much smaller victim under his body and stab his victim with a sharp knife, stab by stab, and see that life wilt away...

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

The hawk is a predator, predators eat prey. What do you want them to do?

[@MrTreeofWoe74]

Pretty much describes Starling behaviour.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You said it. They are so aggressive.

[@patrickprude600]

Now days it ain’t even free to b a bird 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Hawks have to eat.

[@teamjesus7087]

Wow. I suddenly have a craving for some Judah Priest, EAT ME ALIVE.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

You are too much. Lol.

[@adanhernandez6350]

En bez de grabar."" Yo lo ubiera.. correteado.. A ese alcon pobre pajaro. Lo iso sufrir mucho. ;(

[@fredymx2386]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@huntermcclovio4517]

Asi es la naturaleza idiota! Si no te gusta, no veas el video....simple!!

[@YumegakaMurakumo]

Jajaja ¡Puto pájaro de mierda merece morir!

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Hawk needs to eat and starling is a pest.

[@glennw7118]

If I'm the Starling, im pecking that Hawk in the chest until my last breath. Not going to lie there and chill.

[@areyouavinalaughisheavinal5328]

no... if you're the starling you're fucked. each time you're pecked and your feathers plucked, you're kinda hoping it's the last peck and pluck, like maybe the big bird will fuck off and leave me alone. It isn't always a case of either fight or flight... there is resignation and hopelessness which many prey animals exhibit, /see plains of Africa. Given up before you realise you ought to fight. Someone much bigger than you has you pinned down, you'll be locked in fear mode, you're only used to dealing with worms and insects so what do you do now against this? Starling school don't teach you how to fight hawks, only how to eat worms and bugs. You have no sense and no logic in fear mode.

[@jasonpatterson8091]

It was, and it did. The hawk was squeezing its ribcage, so while its muscles were heaving like it was breathing heavily, it wasn't actually able to take breaths. It was also being stabbed repeatedly by the hawk's talons in the gut, so it was losing blood internally. Think fat guy laying on your chest while someone stabs you in the stomach over and over again. You'd probably wear down fast.

[@glennw7118]

@@jasonpatterson8091 now that was very descriptive and informative. It makes sense. 👍🏽

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

The starlings are ruthless but the hawk had the upper hand!

[@ShahrukhKhan-dh5lg]

Sad

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Sharp-shinned hawks prey on other birds. It's what they do.

[@The_Red_Pyramid_Thing]

Not in the least, welcome to nature. Also, it's an invasive specie that essentially bullies and kills native birds, especially the bluebird populace which has seen potentially a 90% decline in population since the introduction of the Eurasian Starling and the House Sparrow. The hawk is getting a meal out of it at least and sustaining potentially its babies.

[@baladdewa7845]

Membunuh untuk hidup

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Yes yes yes!

[@garymudd2846]

Hits in mature bird does not have the bands on it's breasts or the red eyes it almost looks like a Cooper's Hawk

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Sharp-shinned hawks are very similar to Cooper's hawks. And differentiating them is not simple.

[@jeevankumargurung2438]

So painful scary killer hawk.bad hunter bird.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Hawks have you eat. Glad it was an invasive starling.

[@PP-sc5lo]

Wow This hawk kills just like humans.. I guess he's a good observant.! attaboy 👌👏

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

It's amazing to watch.

[@talonflame_brawlstars.7208]

Nature is badass

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Pretty incredible huh

[@Deven-Guglielemencci]

nobody likes starlings

[@snakeeyes9246]

Brent Guglielemencci at the exact time that I said this, I am looking at 3 starlings lol. they are pretty cool looking, honestly.

[@chrissuave92]

This hawk doesn't seem to mind them.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

They are amazing birds but they are also very aggressive towards our native cavity nesting birds. Especially woodpeckers.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I think this one starling made quite a meal for this little sharp-shinned hawk. Good use for a starling.

[@cringeycrisp4416]

Our native starling population is decreasing in England

[@jamesbronco869]

Dude this is straight up metal right here.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Can you translate that?

[@FalconfromRF]

Starling haters will love

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Hopefully this helps more people eliminate more starlings.

[@mindainhan2876]

I know the laws of nature. But I loved the bird being killed.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I was so lucky to be able to capture that on video. If the starling hadn't been screeching I'd missed it.

[@goatfather5711]

You evil bastard, I have more respect for the eagle than you. The eagle is killing just to survive you probably take a life just have fun.

[@josesantana5046]

You fucking insane maniac! How can you think like that?

[@glenduplisea8819]

Circle of life

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Yes. And hawks have to eat too.

[@susiearviso3032]

Personally, I understand there's dark sides to nature. But it wasn't pleasant to see this, and it made me wonder why you wanted to post it. I do understand you aren't fond of Starlings, but I'm not sure why you thought it was helpful to share this. By the way, I didn't look at the title before i started watching. My bad. But there seems to be some sadistic senses of humor on board here.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

I don't know that this was supposed to be a pleasing video to watch. I posted it because it was so amazing to actually see a hawk with its prey. Normally when I see a hawk catch a bird it flies off to eat it. I just wanted to show something that few people ever get to see.

[@benip4144]

these kind of videos can make people realize that the world is not a fairytale

[@kpittsmtb]

I am highly invested in spending time in nature and observing birds in action. I appreciate this video because I do want to know about the realities of nature. I'm not sadistic, sick mentally, nor do I have a warped sense of humor. This video shows the reality of what birds experience and try to avoid (in the case of prey). Seeing this helps me greatly to understand so much of why small birds are really skittish, always nervously watching, and why birds like Corvids who remember seeing this in their past pester the heck out of birds of prey. Thank you for using your photography and observation skills to share this important information with us! Important work.

[@austin1839]

Fresh + dinner.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Thank you for the comment.

[@Naomi1]

That's hell on earth, actually we live in hell ourselves.

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Funny. Sharp-shinned hawks are bird eaters. Thanks for the comment.

[@robertsikora8449]

Sweet revenge for my sweet cherries...

[@xavierhorn9825]

And the many native species that have to deal with them

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Xavier Horn is correct. This species waits for woodpeckers to excavate a nest in a tree or nest box. This may take weeks. Then the starlings aggressively evict the woodpeckers. They will destroy the eggs, young and even kill the woodpeckers in their quest for a place to breed.

[@umeshpatel5120]

Tum uski Jaan bachane Ke vah ji uska video banaa rahe ho yah to bahut nainsafi hai Insaniyat khatm ho gai hai

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

Translation didn't work

[@jmitra2324]

But it's sad. I hate all raptors except kites. So brutal.I feel like crying

[@cainvelasquez5421]

Sparrow hawk

[@BackyardBirdsUS]

This is in North America. They are called sharp-shinned hawks. Some people call American Kestrels sparrow hawks but this is not a kestrel.