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Hi Bill,
I'm a little curious about where it is said that: The male Musk
Duck (Biziura lobata) is said to predate its own young. (That is I assume the
pun to be using the word "predate" as in eat, rather than occur before, which of
course it does............). At a quick look in HANZAB I couldn't find a mention
of it in "food", but then where else would they put a bit of text about that?
HANZAB does say that fathers are not involved with chicks, they are territorial
but do tolerate females with young. Also that the species is odd among ducks
that the chicks are closely bonded to mother. So it seems unlikely.
Yes Musk Ducks are reported to eat ducklings or young of other
species of waterbirds. That is just predation. Male bears will eat young bears
that could possibly be their kids but it isn't so common in birds. But could
happen, no doubt sometimes does. What is more common in birds that lay too many
eggs for all to survive is that the smallest or youngest chick does not get
fed or gets bullied by the others and I suspect more often just abandoned or
dies and is eaten by or fed to the older chicks (rather than eaten by parents).
Why ask the question about Black Swans. It would seem
anatomically impossible to me. They don't have a ripping beak and surely would
not be able to swallow something that large........ Why would they do that, they
aren't even a carnivore?
The word Avicide is just "killing of birds" and hardly suits use
for the situation of a father eating his kids.
Philip
The
male Musk Duck (Biziura lobata) is said to predate its own young. What does
HANZAB say? What other nestlings / immatures is it known to predate? Fratricide
has been used to describe Kookaburra nestlings killing siblings, so when an
adult bird kills and eats its own young is that avicide? How common is avicide,
e.g. among Australian Magpies and Black Swans? What word best descibes this
situation? What other waterbirds may predate the young of all members of the
Rallidae?
Bill Graham
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