Birds of prey can be cute when they’re young and helpless, but get up in a grown hawk’s business, and it’s likely to tell you to step the hell off.
“Say hi, baby. Come on!” pleads the cameraman in this Vine-length YouTube clip before resorting to kissy noises. Almost immediately exasperated with that patronizing tone, fit only for common housepets, the red-tailed raptor emits a banshee-level conversation-stopper. Roughly translated: “I swear to god I will pluck your eyes out the next time you fall asleep.”
Ornithologically astute sources indicate that this screech is often used to make a territorial claim—meaning this hawk’s “owner” may want to find a good real estate agent.
Update: Here’s the inevitable screeching hawk–screaming goat remix, courtesy of Reddit.
Photo via DrJohnHammond’s channel/YouTube