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Black Headed Gulls chasing and catching Turnstones (1 Viewer)

I've seen a pair of Coots do this to a Black-headed Gull. They kept leaving it for dead, it would feebly twitch one wingtip, the young Coots would start yelling and the adult Coots went back for another go.

cheers
martin

It was many years ago at Elmley RSPB in Kent. It was in Spring and an adult Turnstone wandered too close to a family party of Moorhen. The young had only recently hatched and the female Moorhen (presumably) felt that the Turnstone was a threat and immediately jumped onto the back of the Turnstone and pecked at the back of its head. As with the B H Gull, the initially blows to the head must have left it too dazed to simply fly off. The attack continued until the Turnstone was out cold. Then, and this is macabre, the Moorhen pushed the Turnstone a few inches so that its head was under water. It then held it there until the bird was certainly dead.

Cheers, Andy.
 
At Parkgate (Dee estuary) high tides I have seen BH Gulls pick up a Spotted Crake that was unearthed by the rising tide. They actually flew about ten foot away with it but dropped it. It then swam to the shelter of a stone wall and perched on a crevice safely until the tide dropped.
 
Birds seem to eat anything - Turnstones here are partial to Herring gull poo.
 

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