I agree with Rod that the unripe figs are unlikely to have much nutritional
value for the Powerful Owl(s).
I was wondering if Powerful Owls swallow stones to help grind up ingested
food in the gizzard? If so, maybe the PO(s) are consuming small hard fruits
as a substitute for stones, if suitable stones aren't readily available in
the Botanic Gardens or other inner city areas. I admit that figs would not
be as effective as stones in assisting digestion, which probably means my
hypothesis is wrong.
Regards,
Stephen Ambrose
Ryde NSW
-----Original Message-----
From: Rod Kavanagh
Sent: Monday, 27 June 2011 3:17 PM
To: Stephen Ambrose
Subject: Powerful owl in Sydney Botanical Gardens
interesting feeding behaviour
Hi Stephen,
Very interesting. The photos certainly appear to be of a bird eating figs -
but, don't you think the figs look too small and green (i.e. unripe) to be
of much value?
I have been receiving regular reports on his bird (presumably in this tree)
over the past month (actually there are two birds present) - and each time
it, or they, have been seen holding a GH Flying-fox or possum (CBTP and
CRTP). So, I guess the figs - if eaten - can only be incidental.
Thanks for forwarding the correspondence from Birding-aus.
All the best,
Rod
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