Hapless Hawk harassed by plucky smaller bird

Dean Murray via SWNS

A hapless Harris’s Hawk is pictured being mobbed by a plucky smaller bird.

Wildlife photographer Mark Koster captured the harassment in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A hapless Harris’s Hawk is pictured being mobbed by a plucky smaller bird. (Mark Koster via SWNS)

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He explains: “Mockingbirds are known for harassing the larger raptors: it usually means the mockingbirds have a nest nearby with little ones.

"The harassment went on for several minutes."

Mobbing in animals is an antipredator adaptation in which individuals of prey species mob a predator by cooperatively attacking or harassing it, usually to protect their offspring.

Harris's Hawks mostly feed on small prey, including mammals such as rats, but will also take birds.