Watch a Cunning Bird Use Its Insane Speed to Snatch a Flying Bat Out of the Air

This video includes 2 kinds of shrewd birds that utilize their various hunting designs to nab flying bats right out of the air. The very first scene reveals an ornate-pied hornbill, belonging to Southeast Asia. It captures a bat in its beak and swallows it entire, however this is simply a bit of what’s to come. The next scene opens with a changeable hawk-eagle. This extremely smart bird utilizes its speed and active flying abilities to get bats with its 3-inch-long talons. Each hawk-eagle can use up to 10 bats in a single feeding.

Meanwhile, the hornbills view on, interested. They effort to carry out the exact same air-borne attack. They aren’t quickly adequate to capture the bats, however. The cunning male bird decides to do it his own way. He flies to a tree that is very close to the bats’ flight path. Watching carefully, he judges the speed and distance of the bats as they move past. Then, he launches forward with his beak and grabs one! He offers it to his mate, who takes it gratefully. This footage is the first of its kind showing the full behavior of these hornbills catching bats. There are 54 species of hornbills, but these have the most varied diet of all.

The interesting video below shows these two resourceful birds using their intelligence and skill to capture the same prey in different ways. Before we get to the video, let’s learn more about shrewd birds!

More About the Two Featured Bird Species

Featured in our video, the changeable hawk-eagle and the ornate-pied hornbill are both extremely intelligent birds. Let’s learn a little bit about each of them!

The Changeable Hawk-Eagle

Changeable hawk-eagles come in two color morphs: pale (like our featured image) and dark (above). Along with the different colors as adults, they go through many color changes as they grow from chicks. This is the reason for their name. Also called crested hawk-eagles, they have feathers on top of the head they can lift, similar to a cockatoo.

These cunning birds are carnivores, meaning their diet is made up mostly of meat. They use their speed and agility to catch a variety of prey items. Generally, they will eat anything they can catch, from other birds and small mammals to snakes and fish. They use a strategy called “perch-hunting,” as well. This type of hunting involves watching from a perch (like a tree branch) and then dropping down on prey from above. Using the element of surprise, these hunts are very successful.

The Ornate-Pied Hornbill

Typically, ornate-pied hornbills mate for life and breed between January and June. In order to protect their young, these smart birds choose an already-made cavity (like a hole in a tree trunk) to lay their eggs. The female enters the nesting area, then the pair closes the hole up with a mixture of spit, mud, fruit, feces, leaves, and tree bark. Leaving only a small hole to pass food through, the female will stay in the nest until the babies are ready to leave it. All the while, the male forages for food and brings it to her.

These hornbills are frugivores, meaning their diet is made up mostly of fruit. However, as we see in our video, they also eat bats. These birds also consume other birds (like finches), frogs, fish, and even snakes.

Which Bird is Known for Cunning?

There are many other cunning birds that use fascinating tactics to hunt and survive in the wild. Cunning is a word that describes being clever and resourceful. Animals or people who are cunning often use their intelligence and quick thinking to achieve their goals or gain an advantage. This trait is seen in many types of birds.

Frequently called the smartest bird, the American crow is one of the most cunning birds on the planet. They belong to the corvidae family, which also includes intelligent birds like ravens, magpies, and jays.

Crows around the world use tools to get to food more easily. One study showed New Caledonian crows using tools to explore new objects placed in their enclosure. The use of tools for non-food-related activities demonstrated that they understood the possible danger related to the unknown objects. The crafty birds decided to range themselves from the objects, however still interact with them to learn about them. This ability to make decisions regarding their own safety is a clear marker of intelligence.

Wild crows form bonds with humans who treat them well. Gifts of the Crow, a book by John Marzluff, describes crows bringing gifts to humans. The book states this activity reveals that crows have the ability to make plans. They must decide to get the gift, bring the gift, and leave the gift. The act of gifting and not taking it back further shows these intelligent birds can plan for the future. They know they will no longer have the item or be able to use it later. Aren’t cunning birds so fascinating?

Watch These Birds Use Their Different Skill To Catch Bats!