Mallards turn predator (1 Viewer)

Newly observed behaviour.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40445379


A

Not entirely new behaviour. I have heard of a couple of instances where this has happened. I remember of one such episode in Scotland and a quick search revealed this from a few years back.

Mallards in my experience will eat just about anything. Here's another couple of examples though, in one case definitely, and in the other possibly, it was a matter of kleptoparasitism rather than predation

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/15017685300/in/album-72157602221544709/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fugl/28371654244/in/album-72157602221544709/

andyadcock said:

Newly observed behaviour.


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40445379


A

Click to expand...

BWP says "occasionally even birds and mammals"

Brett

The duck was treating the wagtail like it was a similar-sized and similar-shaped frog. I suspect it is not very wise for fledglings to land near little egrets (or any other mallard-sized bird; black-headed gull, crow) either. What saves small birds in most circumstances is their quick movement out of the way. I guess many slower small birds (for example with injured foot) fall prey to larger birds they mingle around while foraging. I saw a photo of a fieldfare caught by a crow in a place where on the same day I saw both species feeding together on lawn without conflict at one foot apart. Crows are a major factor in mallard duckling mortality in our area, and they were reported tricking a slow pigeon into allowing it to be gradually surrounded by a murder.

Nothing new about this - Geoff Doré photographed Mallards killing & eating Sand Martins in 2011 - http://www.geoffdore.com/gd/showcases/blashford/blash-mallard6.htm

Joe52 said:

Nothing new about this - Geoff Doré photographed Mallards killing & eating Sand Martins in 2011 - http://www.geoffdore.com/gd/showcases/blashford/blash-mallard6.htm

Click to expand...

Remarkable! Thanks for the link.