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It’s the middle of breeding season for the Taiwan leaf-nosed bat, when hundreds nurse their pups inside the Four Faced Buddha Temple in Changhua City. A crested goshawk was recently spotted entering the alcove and executing a daring maneuver to snatch one of the bats while they were sleeping. Footage of the encounter amazed viewers, who were impressed by the bird’s ability to mimic the bats’ upside-down position, even when they normally hunt by swooping down from up on high.

A group of bats are hanging upside-down to sleep when a goshawk suddenly swoops in, executing a flawless bicycle kick to snatch a bat in its talons. The rest of the colony is sent into a frenzy. Looking at it again in slow motion, you can see how the bird flipped upside-down like its prey. Viewers were astounded by the incredible display of agility.

Member of public
Seeing an upside-down bicycle kick like that to catch prey is magical to witness. It managed to hone in on its exact position and capture it in an instant.

Member of public
The goshawk can somehow mimic the bats and turn upside down like they do. It’s incredible.

Every breeding season, hundreds of Taiwan leaf-nosed bats gather inside Changhua City’s Four Faced Buddha Temple to raise their pups. Just outside, a crested goshawk—a protected species—watched greedily, preparing to enjoy a feast.

Wang Yuan-hsien
Changhua City municipal advisor
A few minutes before it flew inside, it let out a cry. It seemed like it was testing the waters. Some were startled awake, while others didn’t hear and continued to sleep suspended from the ceiling. Then with a single swoop, it captured a bat and flew back out.

This particular goshawk caught a bat here last November. Driven by instinct, it returned for more.

Wang Yuan-hsien
Changhua City municipal advisor
It visits often. Its behavior was driven by what we call habitat memory. When it came last month, it couldn’t flip upside-down as well as the bats could. This time around, it learned how and could do it fast and flawlessly. It sunk its talons in immediately and then flew away.

After missing its target during previous attempts, the goshawk deployed its talons with lightning speed this time, pulling off an impressive maneuver to earn its lunch and leaving its human viewers spellbound by the incredible display of animal ability.

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