This could change people's opinion about prey size in smaller raptors... (1 Viewer)

Whilst browsing the web I came across this image. Although the bird is not wild, it outlines what size of prey items smaller raptors are capable of taking! http://www.falconryworld.com/brave-sparrowhawk.html

dwatsonbirder said:

Whilst browsing the web I came across this image. Although the bird is not wild, it outlines what size of prey items smaller raptors are capable of taking! http://www.falconryworld.com/brave-sparrowhawk.html

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Falconry birds are deliberatly trained to take prey that a wild bird would rarely if ever tackle. I'm sure most people have seen videos of Mongolian Herdmen hunting adult Wolves with Golden Eagles - this type of hunting behaviour has never been documented in the wild

This sparrowhawk was mainly flown at magpies, and although it is a good photo i believe that it was not much of a traditional falconry flight.

Falconry is geared towards matching quarry to the hawk, this is clearly not within the spar's parameters

the hawk grabbed the goose the goose would have killed it, or got away if the falconry man was not there to help the hawk

scuba0095 said:

the hawk grabbed the goose the goose would have killed it, or got away if the falconry man was not there to help the hawk

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That is true, however it does bring to mind the housecat that looks in the mirror and sees a lion. I have a female Bengal cat that weighs a mere 6.5 lb that will absolutely terrorize a 16 lb male. And surely many have seen that Osprey will sometimes take on fish bigger than they can handle, either through miscalculation or greed.
Clyde

Irish Kite said:

.....I'm sure most people have seen videos of Mongolian Herdmen hunting adult Wolves with Golden Eagles - this type of hunting behaviour has never been documented in the wild

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Our Wedge-Tail Eagles are close cousins of Goldens, perhaps being a bit lankier, certainly on the mainland - the Tasmanian Wedge-Tails are bigger - comparable with the largest Goldens recorded (so that's how the Tasmanian Tiger disappeared?! :eek!.

I have seen film footage on TV (although I'm stuffed if I can remember any details) of two wedgies hunting, killing, and eating an adult dingo.
That's two raptors of ~9lb and ~12lb killing a ~40lb wild dog.
From memory, it looked to be in the arid regions, so I'd say the dingo was already having a tough time - before the eagles turned up to make it a really bad day.
They seemed to adopt a 'harassing' dive-bombing strategy to drive the dog to exhaustion (unsure of the exact timeframes involved), then they would attack the back of the spine and also the neck / head region, finally bringing the dingo down and killing it.

I've also seen TV footage of a wedgie killing an 2/3 size Eastern-Grey Kangaroo (again I'm stuffed if I.....)
That's a ~12lb raptor killing a ~60lb roo, swooping down behind the fleeing roo and killing it with a single strike to the back of the head, piercing the hind talon straight into the brain.

They are also meant to drag goats (feral) off mountainsides (to be despatched courtesy of gravity - and a sudden stop!) ala some of the other footage out there....

I've read studies where ~1/7 recorded prey items were foxes (11%) and feral cats (4%), although those size match ups are more even.

As for smaller raptors here:
I've witnessed a Little Falcon in hot pursuit of a Pacific Black Duck (lost sight of the outcome....), but that's the plucky little jet-fighter tackling something 3x the weight.
I've also seen a Little Eagle (female ~ 2&1/2lb) kill a buck rabbit (~4lb). I don't know what additional body wounds there were (must have been some - judging by the blood....), but there was a puncture wound straight through the front of the skull between the eyes....

It never ceases to amaze me, how hard these magnificent creatures, have to battle just to survive, every - single - day......


Chosun :gh:
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For long, long time.............. the earth - she cry....
now, the children - they cry too....
All terribly, terribly sad....

not all BOP are the same, thats like saying just because a tiger can kill a young elephant means any cat can do the same ratio

IT depends on the species the sparrowhawk not a BOP that can do such things

a wedge or golden can do things like this, so can crowned eagles and martial eagles these eagles can kill a human also in a stoop.

I have seen a feral cat kill a goshawk pretty fast that tried to attack it, it is the most horrific thing u will ever see or hear you would not wish it on any hawk

Yeah, the golden eagle on a wolf mentioned by Irish Kite was a bit of a fluke, on average. I think one wolf killed about 6 of them before 1 bird got lucky on it. One smart canine.

lashinala said:

Yeah, the golden eagle on a wolf mentioned by Irish Kite was a bit of a fluke, on average. I think one wolf killed about 6 of them before 1 bird got lucky on it. One smart canine.

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The success rate is/was certainly much higher than that. For many hundreds of years berkutchi falconers have flown golden eagles at wolves. Video here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re644qgnCtw and exposition here... http://proeco.visti.net/naturalist/falconry/geagl.htm

these are not large timber wolves that are like 100 pounders they are tiny sub species and all of them are young ones have not heard of them taking adults

largest predator a golden eagle can over power without it being a fluke or with help is a coyote

scuba0095 said:

these are not large timber wolves that are like 100 pounders they are tiny sub species and all of them are young ones have not heard of them taking adults

largest predator a golden eagle can over power without it being a fluke or with help is a coyote

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+1

Mongolian wolves are certainly closer in seize to Jackals then timber wolves

came across some interesting footage today

Chosun Juan said:

I've also seen TV footage of a wedgie killing an 2/3 size Eastern-Grey Kangaroo (again I'm stuffed if I.....)
That's a ~12lb raptor killing a ~60lb roo, swooping down behind the fleeing roo and killing it with a single strike to the back of the head, piercing the hind talon straight into the brain.....

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Well this is not that footage, but this is some footage of some wedgies havin' a go (for whatever reason) at a 5ft roo (would stand close to 6&1/2ft tall when standing on their tails as they do in serious fights with each other) - which is a big roo - could easily kick the livin sh*t out of you! (likely to weigh over twice, of the one I saw above; ie. ~130lb+++)

This roo is fightin' for his life ..... and in the end decides to employ life preservation technique no. #1 (i.e. nikovski !!).

Check out the size of the wedgies ...... makes the 5ft roo look like a mouse !! :eek!:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8445533/kangaroo-chased-down-by-eagles-in-south-australia (sorry for the crap ad sit through at the start - seems to be the way things are going) :C

Here's a link to a pic of a big 'Red' roo (can get to over 2m) - check out the size of the agates! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/RedRoo.JPG

And no scoob - not suggesting this translates to sprawk size (never did!) - just providing some interesting footage ...... a BOP is a BOP is a BOP.



Chosun :gh:
_____________________________________________________________

For long, long time.............. the earth - she cry....
now, the children - they cry too....
All terribly, terribly sad....