Many animals hide and store food to help them through the lean times, but one bird of prey has been seen stashing its snacks while they are still alive.

The Eleanora's falcon has been observed plucking small birds it has captured before stuffing them into rock crevices to eat at a later date.

It is the first time such behaviour has been seen in any bird species.

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Researchers on a field trip to the Moroccan island of Mogador observed small birds having their feathers torn out or stuffed into cracks in the rocks by falcons to stop them from escaping.

A team of biologists observed the behaviour among the medium sized falcons during during a field expedition to Mogador Island, off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in 2014.

They describe seeing several small birds, including chiffchaffs and common whitethroats, which had had their feathers torn out or were stuffed into crevices by the falcons.

While the falcons feed mainly on insects during the breeding season, their taste for songbirds picks up later in the season, as the smaller birds migrate to the region.

Photos show a ragged looking chiffchaff unable to fly after its flight feathers – the longer feather on its tail and wings, needed for flight – have been torn out by the falcon's talons.

Eleanora's falcons (pictured) were observed as they captured, mutilated and imprisoned live prey in rocky larders to retrieve at a later dates. It is the first time such behaviour has been seen in birds

The researchers observed small migratory species, such as this ragged looking chiffchaff, which had had their tail and wing feathers torn out by the falcons. Unable to fly, the plucked birds make for an easy catch

Tiny songbirds were also immobilised in rock crevices by the falcons (pictured), leaving them unable to move their wings or legs. Researchers say the birds would stay in their stony prison until the Eleanora's falcon returned to raid its rocky larder or it otherwise dies

Another image shows a common whitethroat unable to move its wings or legs after being stuffed into a rock crevice by the predators.

DEATH FROM ABOVE Researchers observed the behaviour during a field expedition to Mogador Island, off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in 2014. Several small birds had had their feathers torn out or were stuffed into crevices by the falcons. It is thought that the tactic is used to keep a supply of fresh food close at hand for their chicks. Advertisement

It is thought that the tactic is used to keep a supply of fresh and easily obtainable food close at hand, as killed prey items dry out and spoil quickly in the Moroccan heat if left untouched by their chicks.

The findings are described in the journal Aluda.

Professor Abdeljebbar Qninba, from Université Mohammed V de Rabat in Morocco, who led the study, told MailOnline: 'To my knowledge, this behaviour to keep alive some prey has never been reported before or for the Eleonora's Falcon or for other raptor species.'

Fellow bird researcher Mohamed Amezian, who details the findings on his blog, told MailOnline: 'Many animals such as falcons - Eleonora's and Sooty falcons - and different shrikes (Lanius spp.) are known to store dead prey in places known as 'larders', but storing live prey has never been observed in any bird species.'

The hunters are constantly on the look out for food. Eleanora's falcons mainly feed on insects during the breeding season, but it is thought that they adapt their behaviour to feed on the migratory birds which come to the Mediterranean later in the year. Pictured is an Eleanora's falcon in flight

Researchers believe that keeping their prey alive gives the falcons access to fresh food at the right moment for their chicks (pictured). Dead prey brought to the nest and left untouched dries out too quickly in the Moroccan sun. However, the behaviour has been observed even before the chicks hatch

The authors report that the behaviour was seen among the falcons before their chicks hatched, perhaps to allow them to stock up before the hungry mouths of their young appear in the nest.

They write: 'Keeping prey alive, one or two days (the precise period not yet known), may allow the falcon to have a fresh food on the right moment, because the dead prey brought to the nest and untouched can no longer be consumed as it dries out too quickly.'

Raptors are intelligent birds and have an array of crafty, and often brutal, techniques to dispatch their prey.

Golden eagles have been seen dragging mountain goats off cliffs. They use the same method for different prey. Dropping tortoises onto rocks to break open their shells.