Adapt to survive! - Part 2

Welcome to the survival guru’s advanced class

“Welcome everyone! I am Rodney, the Changeable Hawk Eagle, and I trust you all followed my Beginner’s Class in July? Good, let’s move to the advanced stuff. Camouflage! It is the key for survival and for hunting prey. Get a dark brown and white feathered body with bold streaks like mine. It’s perfect for staying out of sight. Camp on the branches of leafy trees and unsuspecting prey will just wander under you, ready to become your next meal! Why waste time flapping about, when you can just drop down and grab something, right? Also, eat everything you see. Lizards, mammals, other birds… it doesn’t matter, prey is prey!”

Fun Facts

“Find a good mate, because mating is for life! Your partner is crucial, not just for laying the egg, but also to share in the duties of protecting the nest and your baby. Now, to attract a mate, you must work on your courtship dance. I find that shooting up vertically and then nose diving over and over again gets a lot of attention. Trust me, I had to beat back a host of admirers! Pro tip: try not to crash whilst doing this. Once you mate, focus on building a solid nest and expanding the population of your species! Join me for my next class to get more survival wisdom, ta-ta!”

Story of the Photo

Rodney was in his element, waxing poetic on survival techniques on an early morning! Dilum captured this fantastic shot of the Changeable Hawk Eagle with his beautiful crest in Yala National Park. Although a little hard to spot due to their camouflage, they have been known to frequent the area around the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Yala, so do keep your eyes peeled for them when you are there.