Eleonora's Falcons Keep Prey Alive

Eleonora's falcons in Morocco imprison live birds for later meals by plucking their flight feathers and trapping them inside deep rock crevices. Researchers documented the behavior in 2014 on the Mogador Islands off Essaouira, where the falcons hunt migrating birds during their July to October nesting season. The researchers believe the falcons keep their prey alive for one or two days so it remains fresh, since dead birds dry out too quickly.

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