Witnessing Nature’s Dark Side
The big ones making a meal out of the little ones
Writing and creating short video clips about wildlife is one thing. For example, about birds of prey or raptors doing what they are known to do, that is, snatch a hatchling or a chick from its nest for dinner.
It is another to actually witness a bird, albeit only an honorary raptor, try to snatch its prey.
A raven is given this recognition, that of an honorary raptor. It is not a bird of prey like eagles, hawks, owls, kestrels, falcons, owls, you get the picture.
But ravens are adopted as an honorary raptor because of its ecological similarity with true raptors.
Crow vs Raven
Identifying a raven from a crow, or vice-versa, is not easy.
Even if I have been studying, stalking, observing and filming crows, a few of which I suspected to be ravens, when walking in woodlands and nature reserves, differentiating a crow from a raven, or a raven from a crow, is still not easy.
But crows do not prey on small birds. Ravens do.