Weird NewsPET OF THE DAY
Eagle snatches owl, then fights off a hawk in Costa Rica
The owl-grabbing ornate hawk-eagle was filmed in Costa Rica's Corcovado park, and the authors say direct sightings of owl predation are exceptional; the hawk left empty-handed.
On air: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on BBN This MorningPublished
Photo: Julio-César Chávez · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN This Morning at 8:14 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are BBC Wildlife Magazine's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by BBC Wildlife Magazine: “Eagle snatches owl and carries it into forest – then something wild happens”, with reporting from Newsbeep (copy of BBC Wildlife text).
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 8:14 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- BBC Wildlife MagazineEagle snatches owl and carries it into forest – then something wild happens
- Newsbeep (copy of BBC Wildlife text)Eagle snatches owl and carries it into forest October 20, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorToday's Pet of the Day is an ornate hawk-eagle in Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park, which grabbed a crested owl, according to BBC Wildlife.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThen a common black hawk showed up to steal the owl, a behavior called kleptoparasitism, and the eagle fought it off and carried the owl to a high branch.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo we are honoring the closer. Career line: one owl caught, one hawk denied, and a wingspan of more than one metre.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorAnd researchers say nobody had documented this eagle going after this owl before. First ever. I'm getting emotional.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorKleptoparasitism, zero for one.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorDr. Byte, do you have anything this brave on your desk, or just gadgets?
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Photo: Hameltion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: APK · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: derivated collage created by Martin Tauchman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Flickr user: Emilio Labrador Santiago de Chile… · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months
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