There is a classic video of a pelican (can't remember which species) in
one of London's parks grabbing and eating a feral pigeon in front of a
lot of horrified people. The sequence is quite eye-opening.
Mark
On 23/02/2019 9:46 am, Philip Veerman wrote:
> I have been trying to think of examples of my own but have not been able to
> come up with anything to match. Which tells me these are uncommon events.
> Yes pelicans eating very large fish but that is sort of ordinary. Is the
> ditty of "its beak can hold more than its belly can" correct? Only thing I
> can think of is a Rufous Night-Heron eating a Myna or Starling (I've
> forgotten) but there was a lot of thrashing about to tear it apart. What is
> stranger to me beyond the big size is that birds are happy to swallow
> possibly struggling prey, whilst it is still alive and intact. How risky is
> that? Sort of related is years ago at the Melbourne Zoo great flight aviary,
> I recall being told by one of the keepers, that the collection had included
> a Darter but they had to remove it because it kept eating too many of the
> other birds. I thought that a bit odd.
>
> Philip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wallaces
> Sent: Friday, 22 February, 2019 1:55 PM
> To: Canberra birds
> Subject: [canberrabirds] RE: Large prey
>
> Thanks to everyone who responded. As well as examples of birds swallowing
> very large prey whole, I got one example of minimal consumption of the prey:
> a Purple Swamphen taking a downy Pacific Black Duck but only feeding the
> eyes to its chicks.
>
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wallaces
> Sent: Wednesday, 20 February 2019 4:44 PM
> To: Canberra birds
> Subject: Large prey
>
> Sometimes birds take prey that seems too large for them to eat. Attached
> photo shows a weather loach held by an ibis and a Baillon's Crake with
> something I cannot identify. The ibis swallowed the weather loach while it
> was still alive (see https://www.hbw.com/ibc/1562747 ). The crake ran into
> the cover so I don't know if it ate its catch (see
> https://www.hbw.com/ibc/1562929 ).
>
> Large yabbies are also eaten by White-necked Heron (see
> https://www.hbw.com/ibc/1194105 ).
>
> I know that there are photos of pelicans with very large prey but I thought
> I would see if people have photos/observations of other species with very
> large or unusual prey.
>
> Steve
>
>
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