Here, a northern flicker desperately tries to defend her nest from a hungry bull snake, a common predator known for raiding bird nests to eat hatchlings or eggs—an easy and energy-efficient meal. Though it may appear in this brief clip that the mother bird is giving the snake a fierce fight, the reality was far longer and more harrowing.

According to those who witnessed the event at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, the encounter stretched on for about 20 minutes. Eventually, the snake released the defensive mother bird. The likely reason? After devouring the flicker’s chicks, the snake was too full to consume the adult as well.

A brutal reminder that in nature, survival is often a matter of timing, instinct, and cold pragmatism.

[📹 yycgardener]