Crows attack doves (1 Viewer)

[pshute]

I'm surprised this hasn't already been mentioned here, but I can't see anything.

Two white doves that were released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture have been attacked by other birds.
As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace

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http://www.theage.com.au/world/angr...-released-by-pope-francis-20140127-hv9xt.html

Apart from the reason for the attacks, what interests me is the photo of a crow gripping a dove with its feet in flight. Is it common for them to do that?

 

[Zheljko]

I think I saw crows attacking buzzard and eagle with their feet (sort of landing on their backs), but a dove seems too small (and white) to be misidentified as a raptor. If it was predation, I think crow would attack with its beak (there are tons of pigeons in Rome so either doves are attacked every day or very rarely). Apart from the idea that doves flew in a strange fashion because the kids squizzed them too much while waiting for release, hurting the muscles, and therefore were considered injured and a possible prey, I think they might be misidentified as small gulls and harried to release small food items (BH gulls would likely swirl around and avoid larger birds).
Is this an adult michahelis gull?