Swainson’s Hawks are fascinating birds that never cease to surprise and amuse me. A recent review of my archive of these raptors over the years revealed these images of their third eyelids activated - making them look like ZOMBIE HAWKS! Some of these are downright spooky!
Nictitating membranes (aka the third eyelid) are translucent membranes that protect the eyeballs of birds, fish, reptiles and even some mammals. Which animal with nictitating membranes is your favourite?
Completely by chance over the years, I’ve managed to capture this eerie feature in several members of our local Swainson’s Hawks family. Thankfully, I’ve been lucky enough to record and document a lot of different behaviours of these birds of prey.
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Learn more about our local family of Swainson’s hawks here:
www.grafxbylisa.com/ProjectHawk/