Airfreight

By being able to fly, birds have an unparalleled ability to move from place to place. But, can they carry luggage along with them?

Birds have few options: carry something with their feet; carry it in their bills or gullets. Alas, only some birds have bills or feet suitable for transporting things even a short distance. Raptors are perhaps the most versatile.

Yesterday I watched two different raptors fly material from one place to another.

This is a female Kestrel, and she is carrying a vole in her claws. She took it to a tree branch and ate it. On previous occasions, I have seen a Kestrel carry beetles and other birds in its bill when it was feeding its chicks.

This Osprey is doing double duty by carrying both a stick and a fish to its nest.