The eagle swooped down and grabbed a snake that fell on the woman.

A woman in Silsbee, Texas, had a snake fall on her, then a hawk swooped down and attacked her, trying to grab the snake.

Peggy Jones with an injured arm after a freak accident. Photo: KPRC-TV — Peggy Jones with an injured arm after a freak accident. Photo: *KPRC-TV*

Peggy Jones had a terrifying experience while driving a tractor in her yard on August 1. A snake landed on Jones and wrapped itself around her arm. Jones tried to get the snake off, but it tightened its grip, began pecking at her face, and hit her windshield. As the woman waved her arms to shake the snake off, a falcon swooped down and repeatedly tried to grab her arm to grab the snake, Insider reported.

Jones said the hawk eventually pulled the snake out after swooping down about four times. Jones had several bloody scratches and bruises on her arms, and venom was all over her right eyeglass lens. Her husband rushed her to the hospital. The woman did not have any serious injuries but was very frightened after the accident.

Although Jones did not know what species the snake was, she speculated that the hawk may have dropped its prey on her. Hawks primarily eat small mammals like squirrels or mice, but they also hunt snakes. Red-tailed hawks are particularly good at hunting snakes, even eating venomous snakes like rattlesnakes.

Bryan Hughes, owner of Rattlesnake Solutions, said it was likely the falcon had picked up the snake and dropped it in mid-flight, causing it to land on Jones. The snake clung to her because it was injured and frightened.

According to Hughes, falcons usually catch snakes, but sometimes they go after prey that is too large. In that case, the falcon may drop it, or even be strangled by it. Hughes himself once saw a gopher snake fall from the sky and land on the ground in front of him, just 20 feet away. Hughes looked up and saw the falcon fly by.

In Jones’ case, the snake catcher speculated that it was probably a rat snake, a common constrictor in the area that was large enough to escape the hawk’s clutches. The wound on Jones’ arm was definitely caused by a hawk, as no other constrictor could have caused such extensive bruising and bleeding. As for Jones, she credits the hawk’s swooping down for saving her life, as the snake refused to leave her arm.

An Khang (According to Insider )

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