A store's grand opening ruffled some feathers after an owl attacked a hawk in a shopping mall display.

The European eagle owl attacked a Harris's hawk in Burlington's Town Centre Mall in Vermont.

Witnesses said the owl squeezed the hawk in its claws for several minutes, causing the bird of prey to shriek, according to the Burlington Free Press.

Workers at the mall display for Freeport, Maine-based outdoor outfitter LL Bean finally managed to separate the birds.

The birds are from Talons! A Bird of Prey Experience. and master falconer Lorrie Schumacher said they had known each other for six years and had never attacked each other before.

She said they were always in close proximity and workers made sure their leashes were not too close. But she stressed they are predators.

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