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Palm Nut Vulture Or ‘Vulturine Fish Eagle’ Feeds On Crabs

Palm Nut Vulture Catching Live Crabs on the Shoreline

On a recent birding tour we caught some very rare footage of a Palm Nut Vulture catching and eating crabs along the seashore.  Although it is also known as the Vulturine Fish Eagle, watching and photographing its actual sea food hunt was a very special experience indeed.  

The bird would walk along the small tidal pools turning over small stones and seaweed to find its prey. Upon finding a crab, it would stick its sharp talons through crab shell to immobilize it and then crack it in half.  With a surgeons precision, it would then use its beak to break off the claws to safely feed on the fleshy insides.

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