covids mobbing birds of prey ever end up in death? (2 Viewers)

[dandare]

Once saw a male Peregrine get mobbed by a Jackdaw as he was returning to the nest site in a local quarry. The Peregrine flew to a ledge at the top of the quarry, sat there for a minute, then dropped of his perch and hit one of the Jackdaws flying around below which spiralled down into the undergrowth at the bottom of the quarry.
I spent many hours watching the Peregrines at this site, which also housed quite a few pairs of breeding Jackdaws, but this was the only occasion that I witnessed any obvious aggression between the two species, which makes me think that this was an act of retribution by the Peregrine, and if so, did he clobber the guilty Jackdaw!? |=)|

dan

 

[Saphire]

I have two examples of crows harassing two buzzards, there was about 10 crows in total coming in to attack but only one at a time, they kept this up for quite some time before the buzzards decided to fight back and then they flew off.

 

[charlierocky]

I have two examples of crows harassing two buzzards, there was about 10 crows in total coming in to attack but only one at a time, they kept this up for quite some time before the buzzards decided to fight back and then they flew off.

Hello Christine, the first photo is typical of corvid mobbing but the second photo looks like this crow has made a terrible mistake! to find it's self beneath a raptors talons especially those as strong as a buzzards. Did it survive?

 

[Saphire]

Hello Christine, the first photo is typical of corvid mobbing but the second photo looks like this crow has made a terrible mistake! to find it's self beneath a raptors talons especially those as strong as a buzzards. Did it survive?

Yes it did survive, it was amazing to watch, things were happening so fast it was difficult to keep them in the viewfinder and the lighting wasn't good, very flat and dull.

 

[iolar]

its not only raptors that get mobbed by crows, ive see many Grey Herons mobbed too.

But there was a report from Donegal of some Hooded crows annoying one recenty introduced Golden Eagle. The eagle apparantly had had enough and went after it, caught it and killled it.

Also, a friend of mine witnessed a buzzard(after many mobs) turn and kill a magpie. The reaction of the other magpies was to fly away as quickly as they could.

These guys are playing a dangerous game, i know ,for one, who hope who wins

 

[Gingling]

Yes it did survive, it was amazing to watch, things were happening so fast it was difficult to keep them in the viewfinder and the lighting wasn't good, very flat and dull.

Nice Photo's !!

That crow continued to give the buzzard the royal chewing out verbally regardless of the risk involved. They are fearless in the face of the enemy up to the point they are grabbed.

I was up in a place in Eastern Washington State this morning called dry coulee canyon.

There was a very large Raven playing touch tag with a red tail about twenty feet off the rocks. It was a case of tease the redtail into a hunt I think.
I did not hang around to see as I was going after some grass hay for the horses and wanted to get it done before it started raining hard.

There was a few other ravens nearby on the floor of the canyon hanging about some cotton tail rabbits and that is one of the things our local ravens do. They use red tails to hunt with.

One of the older well practiced ravens will intentionally go looking for and anger a red tail and tease it into pursuit and then head straight towards the rabbit they want.

There is in fact a fair amount more to it then I described here but I do not feel like writing a small book today.


JR.

 

[Gingling]

For those of you that wish to see a corvid get it's due I would suggest viewing page 258 of the book = In The Company Of Crows And Ravens.

There is a nice illustration by Tony Angel of Lo killing the last Alala in the wild.

Should make your day

JR.

 

[soaring falcon]

General question on birds harassing raptors

I was driving home this afternoon in northern California and saw a large bird soaring fairly low over a very large grassy acreage off the road. I thought at first it was a Turkey Vulture, as they are abundant in our area, but I noticed it had a definite white tail with a wide black band. I had to pull off the side of the road and watch it for awhile to make sure I could identify it once I got home.

Well, I kept watching as it rode the air currents, never flapping a wing, until as it soared higher and neared the upper elevations over a wooded area, a Red-Tailed Hawk began harassing the much larger bird. I had seen Bald Eagles previously in this same area but this was not a Bald Eagle. Once I returned home, I identified it as a juvenile Golden Eagle.

Now it is way past breeding time in our area for Red-Tails so I don't think this hawk was defending a nest but perhaps just defending it's hunting grounds and trying to run off the young eagle?

Does anyone know why other birds harass raptors? I've seen it many times with crows or other small birds harassing much larger birds of prey. The hawk and the eagle went at it a few times before the young eagle soared off toward my property but it was a very interesting interaction to watch. I wish I had a good camera to catch this kind of stuff on film (digital)!

I have started a blog on backyard birding and I love to post these kinds of sightings with photos for my blog. I hope to get many more people interested in birding and am always looking for good photos to add to my posts.

If anyone has good info on why this type of harassment goes on please post a reply. And if anyone is interested check out my blog here: My Blog

 

[scuba0095]

OK since when do corvids have weak bills? Their bills sure has hell dont look soft or work they actually look very formitable

Much more formitable then a gulls bill, dont you guys agree?

also why do crows mob buzzxards? i didnt think buzzards were a threat to them? >...

 

[Mabel]

Scuba and Soaring Falcon:

From the Royal Society for Protection of Birds, RSPB, website:

"Mobbing is a noisy, obvious form of behaviour that birds engage in to defend themselves or their offspring from predators. When a predator is discovered, the birds start to emit alarm calls and fly at the predator, diverting its attention and harassing it. Sometimes they make physical contact. Mobbing usually starts with just one or two birds, but may attract a large number of birds, often of many species. For example, a chorus of different alarm calls coming from the same tree is often a good sign of a roosting owl or a cat.

Mobbing behaviour has been recorded in a wide range of species, but it is particularly well developed in gulls and terns, while crows are amongst the most frequent mobbers. In addition to flying at the predator and emitting alarm calls, some birds, such as fieldfares and gulls, add to the effectiveness by defaecating or even vomiting on the predator with amazing accuracy... " (End Quote)

Buzzards soar to find food, as do other raptors. Corvids do not just pick on Buzzards, they are just more obvious. Raptors will kill and eat Crows and certainly their chicks. Bear in mind that some Corvids breed throughout the year. So it stands to reason that Crows will not tolerate Raptors anywhere near them.

 

[Gingling]

OK since when do corvids have weak bills? Their bills sure has hell don't look soft or work they actually look very formidable

Much more formidable then a gulls bill, don't you guys agree?

also why do crows mob buzzxards? i didn't think buzzards were a threat to them? >...

I have not yet been bitten by all the kinds of gulls. I have been bitten by ring bills and herring gulls. I prefer the bite of a common raven , an American crow or a blackbilled magpie any day to a gull.

Gulls draw blood and do not let go without a little help. Ravens seldom draw blood nor do crows. Blackbills are more apt to dish out small shallow cuts and pinch.

Corvids do less holding of live prey and more scavenging so they do not have a real need for super grip and sharp penetrating ability. I cringe every time some one brings me a gull with a broken wing cause I know it is time to give blood again.

JR.

 

[scuba0095]

ok i have heard of cases where falconers have lost their bird to a group of corvids (usually crows or ravens)

I am going to assume that this is a fake setting though with captive birds and wouldnt be considered the same as a wild bird getting killed?

 

[DTE]

Mobbing is a preventive attack that birds make on their predators, so it is really just aimed to scare them off.
But could it be possible that these mobbers sometimes go into a "frenezi" state, such as some species of shark and red piranha do, and that this might carry the mobbing further than just a scare away and lead it to the death of the predator?
Just a crazy idea...

 

[DTE]

P.D.

Love your posts scuba, always fun for discusion.

 

[Gingling]

Mobbing is a preventive attack that birds make on their predators, so it is really just aimed to scare them off.
But could it be possible that these mobbers sometimes go into a "frenzy" state, such as some species of shark and red piranha do, and that this might carry the mobbing further than just a scare away and lead it to the death of the predator?
Just a crazy idea...

I have read a lot of stories about raptors being grounded by corvids and loosing their primaries to the point of beyond the ability to hunt. Even seen ravens ground each other during breeding seasons.

They are very well organized . They communicate much as we do and they synchronize their movements in a mobbing or while hunting more so then any other species I have seen with exception to whales, dolphins , porpoises and higher primates.

I watched a war between my three local ravens and a group of marauding juveniles just this morning. My older more experienced birds worked together in synchronization however the juveniles were scattered and uncoordinated in their attempt to occupy and dominate the feeding area.

My ravens ran them off. No one was seriously hurt however the reasons for the aggression were most obvious. The juveniles will most likely get hungry enough to come back and try it again and I will put out enough boiled eggs and meats for them to.

There will be no war then.

My ravens will share gladly with them. For safety , for food they can be very aggressive and seem mean but then again there is nothing meaner then being eaten by a competitor or starving out.

The red tail , the eagle , the harrier , the crow , the raven , the magpie , they will all stand close to each other and get along when the need to compete for food is not there. Even so the corvids like to play and tease but not in an aggressive way that could lead to injury at all.

That is what the word wild is all about in the animal kingdom. It can seem a hard vicious place and yet if one looks , there is always kindness and caring to be found when the near constant struggle to survive is removed.

Even between strangers.

JR.

 

[scuba0095]

Just curious has anyone noticed a diff between the way corvids and larus gulls mob??

I saw a huge group of ring billed gulls dive bombing a red tail hawk on a roof, soon as they got close to the hawk they would extend one leg out and try to nail it

I think corvids use their beaks when "mobbing" while gulls seem to use their feet, corvids also seem to be better at it then gulls

 

[DTE]

That is what the word wild is all about in the animal kingdom. It can seem a hard vicious place and yet if one looks , there is always kindness and caring to be found when the near constant struggle to survive is removed.

Even between strangers.

JR.

THAT THINGS ARE NEVER PERSONAL, IS WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT NATURE.

 

[Himalaya]

there is some youtube footage of a raven being crapped all over by fieldfares after it gets too close to their nests.

if there is enough corvids surely they could kill a raptor but i have seeb buzzards warding off quite a large number of raptors. once in the lakes i saw 2 buzzards, abouyt 4/5 ravens and countless carrion crows all soaring and mobbing together . god knows who was mobbing who there. the buzzards did nt really move much. they did nt seem bothered.

 

[Himalaya]

i read somewhere that ravens cant break open carcasses and often have to wait for wolves

I have not yet been bitten by all the kinds of gulls. I have been bitten by ring bills and herring gulls. I prefer the bite of a common raven , an American crow or a blackbilled magpie any day to a gull.

Gulls draw blood and do not let go without a little help. Ravens seldom draw blood nor do crows. Blackbills are more apt to dish out small shallow cuts and pinch.

Corvids do less holding of live prey and more scavenging so they do not have a real need for super grip and sharp penetrating ability. I cringe every time some one brings me a gull with a broken wing cause I know it is time to give blood again.

JR.

 

[Himalaya]

i read somewhere that ravens cant break open carcasses and often have to wait for wolves while larger gulls can hunt their own prey including fish. there must be some sort of a grip in the gulls beak for them to hold fish.

some one earlier mentionned bbirds of prey mobbing each other - i have seen kestrels mob buzzards, and i have heard that sparrowhawks can often soar together with buzzards