It's not everyday you see the urban equivalent to an exotic bird around Toronto—but it seems our own resident hawks are bent on subjecting us to their mealtime spectacles as they continue to terrorize pigeons everywhere.

Red tailed hawks have been getting up close and personal over the past month in very public spaces like Nathan Philips Square much to the intrigue of onlookers who happen upon these Planet Earth-style scenes.

But amazement has turned to disgust and/or morbid interest as the hawks have run amok in their vicious dismemberment of the local pigeon population as documented on several Reddit posts.

A post shared by CityPines (@citypines) on Feb 10, 2018 at 6:21pm PST

Hawks are not new to the city. They can often be seen soaring majestically in open areas high above the trees in search of their next meal, but this winter has witnessed a drastic increase in sightings of the majestic birds in the midst of their feasting routine. 

At one point, an the area outside of Canada Computers at College and Spadina had to be closed off to allow the hawk to enjoy its feast of feathers.

A post shared by Harron (@harrojac) on Jan 29, 2018 at 6:21pm PST

Generally hawks stick to a diet consisting mainly of vermin, but these incidents suggest that the local population is becoming more interested in our hapless flying rats.

These savage displays are certainly not for the squeamish, but they offer a useful reminder that no matter how much the city develops, it remains a habitat for an array of wildlife beyond our beloved trash pandas.