Falcons imprison live birds to keep them fresh for a later meal

First inhabited in antiquity, Mogador hosts the ruins of a fortress, a mosque and a prison.
Today the island is a nature reserve, where Eleonora’s falcons nest among the ruins and hunt migrating warblers, hoopoes and other birds. In a census of the island’s falcons in 2014, Abdeljebbar Qninba of Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, and his colleagues came across small birds trapped in deep cavities, their flight and tail feathers removed. The birds were unable to move their wings or use their dangling legs, the team reported. Crippling and imprisoning prey might be a means of keeping fresh food nearby, so parents can stay on the nest and still have snacks nearby to feed hungry offspring. Living larder Many animals cache food during times of plenty to prepare for leaner times.
Owls pack away dead mice for winter, and Eleonora’s falcons have been seen building up larders of up to 20 dead birds during migration season, when prey is plentiful. But storing snacks that are still alive could be a unique behaviour.