Grey Fox Kills Gilded Woodpecker 10m Up in Sonoran Saguaro

1 articles · Updated · BBC Discover Wildlife · Aug 24

A grey fox climbed to a saguaro cavity about 10m above the desert floor shortly after midnight and pulled out a gilded woodpecker after a brief struggle.
The hunt unfolded in Arizona's Sonoran Desert after the bird had settled into a rare vacant cactus roost, a prized shelter usually contested by other birds.
Grey foxes are unusual among canids for rotating wrists, curved claws, spreadable paws and a large balancing tail that let them scale trees and cactus-side access points.
That climbing ability supports a broad diet: the species often eats fruit and insects, but in winter also raids high-roosting birds, nests and small mammals.
The behavior also helps the fox survive on the ground, where coyotes account for about 90% of grey fox deaths in this desert, pushing them to cache prey and rest high in the canopy.

Sources

Why do coyotes slaughter these unique tree-climbing foxes without eating them in the harsh Sonoran Desert?

How did a desert canine evolve cat-like wrists to silently ambush birds high in Arizona's giant cacti?

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