Red-winged Blackbird Catches Ride on the Back of a Hawk

Is this the most badass blackbird of all time?

The US Department of the Interior posted this incredible picture of a red-winged blackbird hitching a ride on a red-tailed hawk. The stunning photo was taken by Mike White while visiting the Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge.

Red-winged blackbirds are know to dive-bomb raptors, but this behavior is exceptionally rare. While we can’t tell how long the blackbird was on the hawk’s back, that’s still a seriously brave little bird.

Check out this rare sight: A red-winged blackbird hitching a ride on a red-tailed hawk that Mike White spotted while visiting DeSoto and Boyer Chute National #WildlifeRefuge in #Nebraska and #Iowa. We see territorial blackbirds (among others) dive-bombing raptors, but this is definitely something you don’t see every day. Photo courtesy of Mike White.

A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on Aug 3, 2015 at 4:06pm PDT

OutdoorHub Reporters

The OutdoorHub Reporters are a team of talented journalists and outdoorsmen and women who work around the clock to follow and report on the biggest stories in the outdoors.