Britain's birds are much-loved, but while many are happy with seeds, worms and suet, certain birds from these shores have astoundingly gruesome techniques when it comes to hunting. Britain's skies and wetlands are home to some remarkable hunters, from aerial pirates to high-speed water-bombers.
The brutal hunting methods of birds
Great grey shrike
The hunting techniques of the great grey shrike has earned it the nickname of 'butcher bird' - and understandably so. These carnivorous birds have raptor-like hooked beaks and when they hunt small vertebrates they impale them on thorns, barbed wire, or any other suitable spike to hold it still.
While it's in position, they then get on with tearing up the prey with their beak. They hunt prey including small mammals, reptiles and even other birds and have been known to use the spikes as a place to store their prey which they return to later.
Great skua
A pirate of the skies, the great skua doesn't bother getting its own food, instead it harasses other birds until they relinquish their catch.
These sharp-clawed seabirds are bulky and aggressive and if their victims don't regurgitate their catch for them, they might just eat the bird itself instead.
The great skua often targets tired seabirds such as guillemots and kittiwakes and have also been known to steal from powerful gannets. They seize their wingtips and force them to crash into the sea.
Grey Heron
Herons are easy to spot on our waterways and look calm and serene. After the mute swan, the grey heron is Britain's largest common bird, but it is also a ruthless hunter, with a spear-like beak that it uses to repeatedly stab fish, frogs and small mammals until they are motionless, before swallowing them whole.
The grey heron has been filmed catching rats and even stoats, and when tackling this furry prey, they dunk it in water to soften it before swallowing head-first.
After consuming large meals, herons often retreat to fields or quiet spots to stand and digest for hours.
Eurasian Jay
A common bird in British gardens and beyond, the Eurasian jay is often seen hopping around on the ground looking for acorns and finding hiding spots for them.
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But the jay is also a chancer, and will happily raid other birds' nests for eggs and even young birds to eat. Adept at mimicry, the bird will distract other birds before taking the opportunity to take eggs or young birds. It is often heard imitating the common buzzard, which will result in clearing an area so it can steal other birds' haul.
Osprey
The osprey is an incredibly precise hunter, and is able to water-bomb its prey from above, giving it the supreme element of surprise.
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It plunges either feet-or-beak first into water from a height and can even fully submerge to seize fish. It then uses its wings to lift off out of the water, although this technique has been known to backfire - there are recorded instances of weak birds not being able to release large trout and being dragged underwater by the fish whose instinct is to swim back down.
Another thing that makes an osprey such a great hunter is its outer toe, which can rotate backwards, giving a vice-like grip that locks slippery prey firmly in its talons.
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