On 21/Dec/2021 around 7:30 AM in Bhadravathi, Karnataka we noticed a Changeable hawk-eagle preying upon Flying fox bats that were roosted in a banyan tree on the outskirts of the said town.
The bird was perched high up in the said tree when we first sighted it. The bats were seen in the branches next to the bird but seemingly looked unalarmed (see pic). The bird flew out from the perch only to enter the canopy again which made the bats shriek, some flew out too. On locating the bird again we could see a bat injured nearby which was bleeding from the shoulder area (see pic). We assumed the bat had been attacked. The bird did not pursue this bat further but moved out to a different perch. In the next hour or so the bird made five or six further attempts ( flying out from perch and entering the tree where bats roosted) but was not successful. My fellow birdwatcher who continued to visit the spot confirmed that the Changeable hawk-eagle did make a successful kill the following week and was seen feeding too.
