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Hi again all!
The following are links to the photos of the
Southern Giant-Petrel killing and eating a young Crested Tern at a BAWA outing
ealier in winter. As explained before the tern appeared to be caught in/on
something and could not get off the surface of the water. The petrels seized the
oppertunity and quickly snatched up the tern. They held it under water and tore
out feathers from the underside while the tern struggled to get free. It took
5-10 minutes for the tern to die and then the dominant petrel began its meal.
The subordinate petrel interupted periodically and the birds would fight over
the dead tern. Eventually both the tern and petrels floated out of sight and the
story ends there ....
Enjoy the photos!
Petrel drowning Crested Tern:
Petrels fighting over Crested Tern:
Petrel eating Crested Tern:
Claire Stevenson
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