If I remember correctly, Martin Schulz recorded a Dollarbird in the diet of
Ghost Bat.
Please note, though, that what makes the Greater Noctule story so
interesting is that the bats are apparently catching the birds on the wing.
If you want a bit more detail, see a press release at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/plos-bpo020907.php
A couple of points to make about this press release:
1) I suspect it highly exaggerates the danger to birds! Greater Noctules are
quite rare and have a restricted total range. They are not likely to be in
any way significant as a bird predator, even though the birds might well be
significant to them as prey.
2) It claims that owls only take prey from substrates. This is not true. I
have personally seen owls pursuing bats on a couple of occasions, one being
a Barking Owl chasing a Vespadelus pumilus near the Conondale Ranges north
of Brisbane. Owls are well known to take bats in a variety of situations,
and there are cases of owl pellets full of bat skulls. It's hard to see how
the owls are catching bats except in flight. But it is puzzling - in the
case Tom cites, we saw a Boobook with a Miniopterus in its talons.
Miniopterus fly like maniacs and are not what you would have thought of as
an easy catch for a Boobook. But then I once saw a Brown Falcon bring down a
White-faced Heron, so life is full of surprises!
Cheers, Chris.
Chris Corben
www.hoarybat.com
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