Yes but sort of surprisingly the process of hawks and eagles is
often also a gruesome, drawn-out process, even though they do have the
tools to quickly dispatch prey as large as, or larger than, themselves. There
is so much internet film of this, though mostly involving sparrowhawks and
goshawks and their relatives in Europe & USA. Quite commonly they will be plucking
and eating the still struggling prey.
Philip
From: Birding-Aus
[ On Behalf Of David Clark
Sent: Sunday, 17 March, 2019 11:23 AM
To: Anthea Fleming
Cc: birding-aus
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Grey Butcherbird kills Spotted Dove
I have watched Grey Butcherbirds kill and eat Spotted Doves
and Blackbirds when we lived in Box Hill. It is a gruesome, drawn-out
process as the Butcherbirds lack the tools to quickly dispatch prey as large as,
or larger than, themselves.
On Sun, Mar 17, 2019 at 9:52 AM Anthea Fleming <>
wrote:
At about 7.15 yesterday evening I walked out my front
door. A male Grey Butcherbird flew up from the drive and perched on the fence.
I found it had been feeding on a Spotted Dove. The Dove's head was missing and
the breast had been eaten. The innards had been eaten out from inside the body
cavity, so that it was reduced to wings, 'frame', tail and feet. It was
clearly very fresh with blood bright red and still dripping when I inspected
the corpse. The Butcherbird did not return to its prey after I went
inside - still undisturbed this morning.
Spotted Doves often sit on the ground in our drive and pick grit there.
I think a Dove is unusual prey for a Butcherbird, but I have read an account of
such a killing made by a Butcherbird diving onto a Dove and striking its neck
with its bill. I presume it was eaten in situ because too heavy to carry away.
Anthea Fleming
Ivanhoe, Vic.
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