Is it possible that the corpse is tangled in the nesting material, such that
it is not possible to remove it?
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Compston
Sent: Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:01 PM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: wfhs
The white faced heron chicks hatched between Christmas and New Year,
probably closer to New Year. Blue egg shells were found a couple of
metres from just below the nest. We think that initially there were
4 chicks, because of egg shells seen. One chick did not last long.
So last Saturday, the last time that the smallest chick was seen,
they would have been about 23 days old. The chicks, presumably would
have hatched over three or four days. The older chicks would have
grown before the last one hatched. We have visited the nest often.
There was never any arguing and disputing between chicks, and once,
when the parents bird flew in with food, we saw each of the three
chicks being fed. The chicks were never demanding for food, nor did
we hear them call in a demanding fashion. Sometimes they were low in
the nest but recently they have sometimes been standing beside the
nest on the branch.
Nevertheless the smallest one has died. Perhaps, besides not getting
enough to eat, it was at times trampled by the older, stronger
chicks. The body is still there possibly 5 days after the chick died.
Martin B compared the situation with the royal spoonbill nesting two
years ago. In contrast with the WFH, the spoonbill chicks died at a
much younger age. They could easily be pushed out or eaten(?)
Questions: Has a WFH ever been known to eat the dead body of any
animal? It does not have the sort of bill that could tear apart a
corpse.
Is the body too big and heavy for the parent to
lift and take out of the nest? Answer to that is, we don't know
Won't ants come to devour the corpse? They quickly
descended on a small dead fish that was dropped from the nest
Noisy miners harass the parents whenever they
come in, and have done ever since the WFHs started to build. Are they
just being territorial, or would they like to
eat the dead chick?
We once, at Grenfell saw a wfh apparently feeding on a dead sheep.
It was getting the grubs in the sheep.
Elizabeth
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