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I
suggest a Currawong is quick to take advantage of any bird injured like that, if
the opportunity arises. You asked Do Kingfishers eat Currawong chicks? Actually
HANZAB reports nestling birds as sometimes food for Sacred Kingfisher but only a
minor item and I would suspect not things like currawong chicks. Then Or do
Currawongs eat Kingfishers? Well probably if they get a
chance.
To
counter your story I will just recopy this old story of mine from about 1994.
Apology to those who remember previous tellings of this.
Several years ago I had a Sacred Kingfisher in my backyard (Kambah ACT) for a day. At
one stage it was bathing in the bird bath (a water dish on the ground on the
middle of the lawn). A male Common Blackbird was fussing around it, hopping
around flicking wings and giving clanking alarm call at point blank range. Some
time later the Blackbird was in the bird bath in full ablution mode and the
Sacred Kingfisher watched it for a while then when the
Blackbird was facing away, the Kingfisher flew down from the clothes line,
swooped down within a few cm of the Blackbird's head and snapped its beak as it
passed by. I heard it from several metres away. The Blackbird fled the
scene in panic. The Kingfisher just continued on to the nearby tree,
watching the site. So yes this sounds anthropomorphic but true
nonetheless.
Philip
----Original Message-----
From: Sue
Beatty [
Sent: Monday, 24 October
2011 3:22 PM
To:
Subject:
[canberrabirds] Sacred Kingfisher under attack
High drama in our garden this arvo.
We noticed a male Sacred Kingfisher perched above our bird bath for at least 5
minutes, being harassed by an angry Scrubwren. Just as I was writing it on my
GBS list, the Kingfisher suddenly crashed into a window at high speed, scaring
the hell out of me. I could see a Pied Currawong eyeing it off as it sat dazedly
on the ground. As soon as the Kingfisher flew up to a branch, the Currawong
attacked, narrowly missing it with a loud clack of the beak. Attempting to
escape, the Kingfisher hit another window pane and barely evaded another
high-speed pass by the Currawong. At this stage I joined in and sooled the
Currawong out of our garden. Have no idea what happened to the Kingfisher.
Whether or not it survived, it’s on my GBS list. I hadn’t realized a Kingfisher
might be subjected to such an attack by a Currawong. Do Kingfishers eat
Currawong chicks? Or do Currawongs eat Kingfishers?
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