We observed this, or a similar event, at first hand in a park in London.
There was a consternation of onlookers.
The Rock Dove could be seen as a shadow in the Pelican's beak and it
continued to struggle until it was swallowed. The whole process from
capture to swallowing not take long at all.
There was what broadly be called 'billing' between the Rock Dove and the
Pelican, but no cooing.
regards
Con
On 2/23/2019 10:34 AM, Mark Clayton wrote:
> 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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