South African Photographs: Small bird attacks snake

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Small bird attacks snake - Kruger National Park

This was AMAZING!! Awesome!! Fantastic!! To see the video, please go to: http://youtu.be/RHIMO5iSAc8

This morning on my way out of camp, I turned a corner and came across a Greyheaded Bush Shrike attacking a Southern Vine Snake. These birds don’t normally go for something this big and why the snake (which has toxic venom) did not bite him, I do not know!!

The snake puffed up his head and tried to go in the opposite direction, heading for the nearby bushes, but the bird kept on biting him on the head and neck, trying to get a good grip in order to pull him back to the road........

The bush the snake went into has an aloe growing in the middle with very broad leaves and thorny spines. The bird went from one side of the bush to the other trying to get at the snake but at most, a pull on its tail was the most it could do and nothing dislodged the snake from its hideout.

After about 10 minutes, the bird gave up and flew off. Although I waited around and peered into the bush for a while, the snake did not come out so I left too.

This has definitely been the highlight of the nearly 6 months I have been in the park.

If you like the video, please share the link to it. Thanks.

3 comments:

Diane said...: Wow that is amazing and how fantastic that you were at the ready with camera to film it. Well done. have a good week, Diane; April 30, 2013 at 4:42 AM
SAPhotographs (Joan) said...: Thanks Diane. You know how it goes about being in the right place at the right time. :) You have a wonderful week too. I am sure you are pleased summer is on its way?; April 30, 2013 at 9:14 AM
JackthornLife said...: Hi blogger...only just saw your video of the bird attacking the vine snake. The bird is attacking the snake because it has one of the birds eggs in it's mouth, taken from it's nest (vine snakes do this as do many other snakes) - which is why it cannot strike the bird either. It took me a while to work this behaviour out. Birds do not attack a snake like this, the bird is trying to save it's egg. I'm from South Africa, spent many years in the bush-veld and Kruger. Hope that satisfies your curiosity as to the why. Rgds Karen; November 5, 2013 at 1:24 PM