Earlier in the week, Laurie Knight asked about Butcherbirds and the size of
their prey. I sat back and waited to see if anyone replied through
birding-aus. No sign of a response so I'll put my bit in.
In early 1991, I observed a pair of Red-rumped Parrots fly into a hollow in
a dead tree about 50 metres away. One parrot left almost immediately. A
Pied Butcher suddenly appeared and flew straight into the hollow. After a
while it appeared with something in its beak, sat on the branch for a while
and then flew off. I watched to see if the parrot came out but after half
an hour or so, gave up. I walked to the base of the tree and found a large
number of feathers from a fully grown Red-rumped.
I can not say with 100% certainty that the Butcherbird had taken the parrot
but I have always been convinced that that is what happened. A very large
prey for a Butcherbird. Maybe he was very hungry.
Terry Pacey
Toowoomba Qld
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