THEY say birds of a feather flock together but that's not quite the case for this unlikely couple.

These extraordinary pictures show a gutsy little sparrow chick befriending a Harris hawk five times its size by jumping on its back.

The incredible scene was captured by Maximus the hawk’s owner Roy Rossow in his back garden.

Father-of-three Mr Rossow, 54, from the High Wycombe area, said: “I was gobsmacked when I saw what was happening.

“My family and I were sitting on the patio when we saw the chick come out of some shrubs and jump onto Maximus’ back," he said.

“The hawk just picked up the chick and put it down on the ground but it just jumped back up again about five times.” The Harris hawk is a fierce predator in the wild and eats animals like mice and small birds.

Mr Rossow added: “Straight after I picked up the hawk and put him back in the aviary he devoured a rat so it amazes me how the chick was not killed.

“I think my hawk has truly lived up to his name, he is certainly Maximus the Merciful.” Two-and-a-half-year-old Maximus, named after the character from the Gladiator film played by Russell Crowe, stunned the Rossow family with his act of mercy and since the incident Mr Rossow has been showing the pictures to friends and work colleagues.

He added: “I am so glad I have got these pictures because no one would have believed me if I just told them what happened.” Maximus is one of two hawks owned by Mr Rossow.

Harris hawks originate in America where they survive by hunting down their prey with superb vision and pounce on them from on high.

Mr Rossow said although his hawks are used to human contact it could still be dangerous for an untrained person to handle the birds.