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Dragon Slayer

The green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) has caught a dragonfly, most probably a female Ditch Jewel (Brachythemis contaminata). After catching the dragon, it perched on this high-tension electric cable, hit the fly a few times on to the cable before consuming it.

 

Birds that eat insects (like this bee-eater) and hard-scaled fish (like kingfishers) tend to hit their prey against the hard surfaces of their perches, so as to kill and break their prey before swallowing them whole. This is to reduce the friction and possible damage to their softer insides of throat and crop. This process also enriches their digestion.

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Uploaded on December 26, 2016
Taken on December 25, 2016