One of the most unusual birds I’ve ever encountered was the Pel’s fish owl. It was sitting in a tall tree in Africa and from that distance it looked a lot like a large bee hive.
As the name suggests, this bird eats fish. It is a true fish-killing machine, utilizing talons sharp enough to open a can. Weighing about ten pounds, this owl feeds its nestlings a steady diet of fish, frogs and the occasional lamprey.
Another African bird has a more sinister diet — snakes.
The short-toed snake eagle is a fearsome raptor that dives down on its prey, seizes a snake in its talons and flies off with the thrashing, striking serpent in its clutches. While still in flight, it crushes or rips off the head. Then, amazingly, the eagle swallows the snake whole.
Snake eagles happily dine on some of the most poisonous snakes, including black mambas and cobras up to nine feet long.
Closer to home, a great blue heron will also kill and eat water snakes. Also, vultures will often dine on things that are not overly delectable — dead animals and carrion. They actually prefer fresh meat, but they will make do with what is readily available.
Vultures are an unofficial sanitation department and by eating dead animals, they help prevent diseases such as anthrax and cholera by the acidic liquids in their gut.
In India and Pakistan some years ago, there was a die-off of vultures after they ate cattle that had died from a man-made poison. No vultures soon led to an outbreak of rabies as dogs ate the poisoned vultures. A very vicious and deadly cycle.
So birds do eat lots of things, but the most important consideration is that they hang on and continue to make the world a whole lot better by being around.
