PEORIA, ARIZONA — A boy and his pet parakeet are mourning the loss of the bird’s best friend, after a hawk swooped in for the kill, then found itself trapped inside its victim’s cage.

On the morning of Nov. 21, the boy’s mother decided to leave the birdcage out on their backyard patio table to let the birds enjoy some fresh air. Moments later, a hawk swooped down and managed to squeeze through the birdcage before unleashing a fatal attack.

The older of the two parakeets, Snowy, managed to stay alive during the fight. The boy’s mother heard the loud banging from inside and ran over to see the rogue bird trapped, and one of the parakeets laying lifeless on the cage floor. The mother was able to reach in and save Snowy, but her mate, PD, was dead.

The woman’s 9-year-old son, devastated, said: “I just wish he could live a lot longer and now he’s in heaven.” Meanwhile, PD’s killer was released shortly after the fight, but returned to the murder scene 15 minutes later, in search of its breakfast.