Hawk filmed taking down drone

An aviation enthusiast in the US has captured the moment a territorial hawk swooped in on his drone and knocked it out of the sky.

The incident occurred at Magazine Park in Cambridge, Massachusetts yesterday.

A short video taken from a camera mounted on the drone shows it rising high above a soccer pitch and panning around when the bird of prey comes speeding in.

The hawk raises its talons and with its wings spread wide, strikes the unmanned aerial vehicle, sending it plummeting towards the ground.

Christopher Schmidt, who was piloting the drone, said the hawk was "unscathed" after downing the aircraft.

"Having defeated his prey, (it) was happy to retreat," he said.