Black Headed Ibis With Snake, Mangalajodi, Odisha, India

By Ajit Huilgol

You would not think of an ibis as a bird of prey, but in Mangalajodi black-headed ibis, purple herons and grey herons regularly hunt down snakes, some of which are quite large and put up a spirited fight before becoming subdued and swallowed whole! This image shows a black-headed ibis with a snake that it has pulled out of the marshy ground, and is swinging around.