In an unusual sighting, a female hawk was recently spotted in central Tel Aviv, holding onto a dove it appears to gave hunted down in the city.
Dana Tevnechik of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel was in her kitchen one morning last week, when she suddenly spotted the hawk right outside her window.
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The female hawk
(Photo: Dana Tevnechik of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel)
"I noticed a large bird, which I have never seen in the city, and it held a prey that I found hard to recognize at first.
"So I grabbed my phone, took photos, and sent them to Yitzhak Cohen of our Urban Nature Surveys Unit," Tevnchik said.
"He immediately recognized that it was a hawk that caught a dove somewhere along the way to devour. I'm glad I was able to document this event, which illustrates to all of us that nature and wildlife don't stop within the city limits."
The female hawk
(Video: Dana Tevnechik)
Amir Belban, director of Urban Nature at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, said: "In recent years, there have been more and more sightings and reports of hawks who spend the winter in urban environments. There are plenty of bird species that have become accustomed to life in the built environment.
"This is a species from Africa, which probably was brought to Israel by pilgrims from Egypt, and has been a part of our environment for the past 200 years. It weighs about 60-70 grams (2-2.5 ounces)."