Red-tailed hawk sends a DRONE plummeting to the ground after it flies too close to the bird’s perch 

Red-tailed hawk sends a DRONE plummeting to the ground after it flies too close to the bird’s perch

  • The on-board footage was recorded in a backyard in Haddonfield, New Jersey
  • Bird of prey, which was perched among the trees, spots the unwelcome intruder
  • It swoops down to mark its territory as it sends device plummeting to the ground

A red-tailed hawk was caught on camera launching a vicious attack on a drone which had flown too close to the bird’s perch.

The on-board footage was recorded by the drone’s owner in his backyard in Haddonfield, New Jersey. 

The bird of prey spots the unwelcome intruder and swoops down to defiantly mark its territory as it sends the device plummeting to the ground.

The on-board footage was recorded by the drone's owner in his backyard in Haddonfield, New Jersey

A red-tailed hawk was caught on camera launching a vicious attack on a drone which had flown too close to the bird’s perch

In the clip, the drone begins sweeping up and down through a series of fir trees in the owner’s back yard.

The operator on the ground then spots a large bird of prey perched among the branches and moves the drone in for a closer look. 

The bird, which appears to be a red-tailed hawk, spots the device and begins eagerly eyeing it up.

It tilts its head from one side to the other repeatedly as the drone moves in even closer. 

But suddenly the bird launches itself off the branch towards the device with its wings outstretched.

The drone is sent hurtling toward the ground before landing in the grass.  

The drone continues to move in even closer before the bird suddenly launches itself off the branch towards the device with its wings outstretched

The drone continues to move in even closer before the bird suddenly launches itself off the branch towards the device with its wings outstretched

The device is sent hurtling through the fir trees as it plummets toward the ground before landing in the grass

The device is sent hurtling through the fir trees as it plummets toward the ground before landing in the grass

Speaking after the incident, the drone’s owner said: ‘I was flying my drone in my backyard, when I noticed a large bird in a nearby tree watching intently. 

‘I flew over to find the bird with the drone to get a closer look, and the bird took off and knocked it out of the sky. 

‘After viewing the footage, it looks like the bird was a red-tailed hawk.’  

Red-tailed hawks are renowned for their predatory instincts with attacks frequently reported. 

Last year, one family was left terrified when a hawk swooped down into their backyard in Las Vegas as it attacked their Yorkshire Terrier. 

There have also been sighting of the birds scooping up rats, squirrels and bats – with 85 per cent of their diet being made up of rodents.