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Re: Gulls as Predators
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Re: Gulls as Predators
- From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz@duke.edu>
- Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 13:35:51 -0400
- In-reply-to: <49.99866ee.27f8b31f@aol.com>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
At 12:36 PM 4/1/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>Some time ago there were a number of postings to the listserv on the subject
>of gulls as predators. As I recall these all involved gulls attacking
>waterfowl in the water, and in one case, an owl sitting on an ice floe.
>Yesterday I observed a lone Ring-billed Gull pursuing a Kingfisher, which was
>frantically trying to evade it. Fortunately, it was able to reach the safety
>of a tree and the gull veered off. Has anyone else observed gulls pursuing
>landbirds on the wing? Does anyone have any idea of how a gull would be able
>to successfully capture a landbird in flight, since it lacks the talons of a
>bird of prey?
Was the kingfisher carrying a fish? Gulls do try to steal prey from other
birds. Sort of like their near cousins, the jaegers.
Norm
************************************************
Norman Budnitz 919-684-3592 (day)
nbudnitz@duke.edu 919-383-0553 (eve)
919-660-7293 (fax)
(work) Department of Biology, Duke University
Box 90338, Durham NC 27708-0338
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PROGRESS: the victory of laughter over dogma.
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