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While driving through southern Chile's spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, we noticed a pair of black-necked swans trying to defend their group of young cygnets against a pair of southern crested caracaras. Unfortunately for the swans, the caracaras were very aggressive and clever, and one by one they picked off all six of the cygnets, carrying them off to their nest and then hurrying back for more. This photo was taken partway through the series of attacks, and it shows one of the swans hissing and threatening the caracaras as the remaining cygnets try to keep as close as they can to their desperate parent.
Pictures of the North American form of this caracara can be found here.
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