Let's face it - an awful lot of birds (including honeyeaters and some
parrots) eat other animals. But so long as they are "only" insects etc and
not cute baby ducks no-one "cares"! I remember when I used to keep chooks in
the backyard being most surprised the first time their scratchings uncovered
a mouse nest - they really loved those baby mice!
On 5 October 2011 10:54, David Stowe <> wrote:
> Surely this is no different to so many birds that prey on living creatures
> - particularly but by no means limited to raptors??
> Square-tailed Kites take nestlings from other birds as their specialty - do
> we call them mean?
>
> Cheers
> David Stowe
>
>
> On 05/10/2011, at 9:55 AM, sandra henderson wrote:
>
> I share his views - I've certainly seen a swamphen take a duckling - in
> fact
> I managed a pic of it (right place, right time). It's online at
> m("N00/4200006390/","//www.flickr.com/photos/59388783");">http:
>
> It carried the duckling back to its own nest, pulled it apart and fed it to
> its own youngsters. All quite gruesome, and mother Black duck appeared very
> upset. this happened a couple of years ago in Norgrove Park in Canberra, a
> small man-made wetland on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
>
> sandra henderson
> canberra
>
> On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 10:27 PM, Debbie Lustig
> <>wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In his Saturday Age column on 1/10, 'The case against the swamphen',
> Robert
> > Drewe described the Purple Swamphen thus:
> >
> > 'It's a tallish, bulky, gaunt bird...taller than the average rooster and,
> > in a masked Darth Vader sort of way, more menacing in appearance...[It]
> has
> > sinister black feathers, which blend into an oily purple ruff around the
> > neck. [Its head has] a red skullcap of plastic-looking, cartilaginous
> stuff,
> > which descends into a mask from which black eyes glint cunningly and a
> > disproportionately large, horny beak.
> >
> > 'The swamphen has an edgy demeanour, skinny legs and three long, unwebbed
> > toes...on which it strides and sprints across reeds and lily-pads,
> > defecating heedlessly as it goes.'
> >
> > Next, about the swamphen's supposed lack of flying prowess: '[It] flaps
> and
> > flies about as high and successfully as a domestic chicken.'
> >
> > The real point of the piece comes after all this, arguably slanderous
> stuff
> > (can you slander a bird?).
> >
> > Drewe witnessed swamphens grabbing ducklings and cygnets. He claims to
> have
> > seen this at least three times. Then, recently, one bit him while he
> tried
> > to jog around it. Hence, the ugly, hate-crime rhetoric about its looks
> and
> > demeanour. (It's a very funny article.)
> >
> > Never having suffered an attack by one, I must leap to the defence of
> > swamphens. They're fun to photograph with some bit of stuff in their
> (long,
> > unwebbed) feet. And they fly quite fast round these parts. Wandering
> around
> > on top of huge reed beds is pretty neat, too.
> >
> > Could it be time to start a Purple Swamphen Appreciation Society?
> >
> > Has anyone apart from (professional yarnspinner) Mr Drewe seen a swamphen
> > grab a duckling or cygnet?
> >
> >
> >
> >
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