World of the Bizarre

Weasel goes for a ride on a woodpecker

By T.K. Randall
March 3, 2015 ·  36 comments

Weasels don't typically use birds as a mode of transport. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Keven Law Martin Le-May had been out for a walk with his wife Ann at Hornchurch Country Park in London when they heard what sounded like a distressed squawking noise nearby.

Upon investigating the sound the couple came across one of the most bizarre spectacles they'd ever seen - a woodpecker flying around with a weasel clinging on to its back.

Le-May quickly took out his camera and snapped a photograph."I think we may have distracted the weasel as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass," he said. "I'm so proud so many people are getting to see my image. I'm totally taken aback by the response to it."

The incredible photograph of the weasel on the woodpecker's back can be viewed - here.

"This is a truly extraordinary image," said wildlife expert Lucy Cooke. "The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits. The woodpecker is not its usual prey."

Source: BBC News | Comments (36)

Tags: Weasel, Woodpecker