does any BOP take adult mink? that you know of? (1 Viewer)

[scuba0095]

I can't believe all the birds and the sizes mink will attack? has anyone seen a bird prey on an adult mink?

Or even a bird that could fend off a mink? Only one bird in history I have ever sseen or even heard of fighting off mink and driving it off was common loons. Other than that minks kill everything.

 

[Pugs1]

A mink wouldn't be a match for an Eagle or Eagle Owl species.

 

[Cinereous]

A mink wouldn't be a match for an Eagle or Eagle Owl species.

A large eagles capable.. Eagle owls aren't as fierce as you might think.. Mustelids are very very aggressive and wriggle about a lot and fight back.. They can inflict a lot of damage on a predator... I think they're quite simply too much hassle for birds of prey to bother with.. I've heard of minks killing hawks.. (not eagles)...

I can't say I have ever heard of a bird of prey killing a Mink Scuba0095.. But I don't doubt for one second that it has happened.. If an eagle takes on a mink, it'll probably only do it once...

 

[Pugs1]

A large eagles capable.. Eagle owls aren't as fierce as you might think.. Mustelids are very very aggressive and wriggle about a lot and fight back.. They can inflict a lot of damage on a predator... I think they're quite simply too much hassle for birds of prey to bother with.. I've heard of minks killing hawks.. (not eagles)...

I can't say I have ever heard of a bird of prey killing a Mink Scuba0095.. But I don't doubt for one second that it has happened.. If an eagle takes on a mink, it'll only do it once...

If an Eagle Owl hit a mink at speed, I think it would be good night Mr Mink. If you work out the NM of a 3.5kg bird travelling at 35mph it will give you an idea of the force hitting the prey (and thats before it exerts it's crushing grip)....have you ever felt the crushing power on Eagles, Owls etc? It is phenomenal and has been quoted to be in the region of 500 - 700 psi

Now, in recorded prey items...

• Mink, Stoat, Weasal, Pine Marten, Raccoon Dog, Domestic Cat etc

Source; H MIKKOLA

and for good measure
here
and
here

"In tests the prey populations of birds have been discovered to grow 1.6 times larger in comparison with areas where these land predators were not eliminated.
In the Turku archipelago it was noted that in the areas cleared of mink, the frog populations were at their best tenfold compared to areas with mink.
In addition to the attrition being wrought by sea eagles, the mink population is also being reduced by the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo).
In the archipelago, however, the eagle owl population is significantly smaller than that of the sea eagle.
"

But i never needed convincing on this ;-) So scuba, an Eagle or Eagle Owl is certainly capable

 

[Cinereous]

Thank you Pugs 1... That was a real interesting article.. It just goes to show they will take them, although the article was mostly relating to a new species (Mink) introduction which the predators were unaccustomed too.. (with the exception of Sea Eagles).. Often birds of prey will take a new species until they learn more about them.. and most kills are not the clean fast kills you describe.. Mink do thrive in other areas of the world where eagles and eagle owls live and are not normally a prey item...

By the way Yes... I've kept and bred Eagle owls.. Incubated, hand reared and trained them too.. I had their talons dug into me as well.. If you get past the feet there's nothing to them...

 

[rosbifs]

I guess studies havent been done but it would interesting to know whether these minks were taken whilst in the water or on land. I would think that there was less ability to struggle or fight back if the mink was in the the water...

Eagles have been known to take out foxes.

Personally i would have thought that a Gos could also take out a mink with a swift suprise attack but not necessarily 'head' on.

 

[MJB]

I guess studies havent been done but it would interesting to know whether these minks were taken whilst in the water or on land. I would think that there was less ability to struggle or fight back if the mink was in the the water... Eagles have been known to take out foxes. Personally i would have thought that a Gos could also take out a mink with a swift suprise attack but not necessarily 'head' on.

In all the above, the mink referred to is the American Mink Neovison vison, and not the European Mink Mustela latreola, which is smaller and breeds from The Baltic countries east to NE European Russia. The two species are only distantly related. Otters will hunt down mink entering their territory.
MJB

 

[scuba0095]

gos is not strong enough, i read some place great horned owls doing it? gos might do a small one like young. I wonder if a female redtail can do a female mink.

Mink are tiny max out at 3 pounds smaller than a ferret but much stronger

pine martens are the same

sea eagles probably dont have much trouble with these neither does the golden since the fishers second worst predator was a golden eagle I read next to pumas. Golden eagles can kill adult male coyotes also.

I think birds in the wild raised are much stronger than captive raised if they are BOP. There was a bald eagle eating fish beind the vista center here and someones dog was stupid enough to go bug it and the eagle spread its wings was about to attack the dog. Probably thought it was a coyote. Happy to see the eagles and ravens around more and more.

Its just the way minks attack birds is so hard to get away from they attach to the birds head/throat/neck so no matter the size of the bird its hard for it to get the mink off. If the bird is aware of the mink i am thinking it should be able easily attack it and drive it away (like the loon did). But the mink jumps on top of their heads and bites till they are dead. It is terrifying though if you see a mink attack a large bird in real life on top of water it is horrifying.

 

[jerkin]

Mink

I think it all comes down to foot size and structure,large raptors like female goshawk and eagles have feet that can wrap around small pray with out killing or incapacitating instantly thus increasing the risk of life threatening injuries,smaller raptors like male goshawks or buzzards have ideal foot size and span and structure and if the first strike is the head it will normally prove fatal without the risk of injury

 

[scuba0095]

No a male goshawk is way too small and weak to kill a mmink whos head is nothing but muscle in 1 shot. Its not a ferret. A ornate hawk eagle can kill it. But not a male goshawk. A female might have a chance I am not sure but i still dont think. A stronger red tail female maybe but still never heard of it.

Bald eagle have killed pine martens and in the hudsen bay area they say bald eagles kill the most coons which are stronger and much bigger than a mink I would think. Golden eagle killing a mink should be over kill. Since they can kill a healthy tagged fisher. BIg eagles should be able to do it also because they have big powerful beaks, and could just tear the minks head off if they wanted to. I have seen small/medium sized dogs kill minks. THese dogs can be killed by a golden eagle easy. Just depends on how the eagle kills the mink grab the mink and just tear its head off with the beak its dead.

Rabbit skulls are very fragile and they tear and break apart very fast if you ever kept rabbits as pets or even rescued a wild rabbit you would know it, that is why hawks kill them so easy. ANimals in the weasel family do not break apart like that other than ferrets which are domestic and lost a lot of their original make up. THe ferrets i kept were NOTHING like the minks or polecats i saw in the rescue.

 

[scuba0095]

I wonder if the giant euro black vulture would? I remember seeing a small white headed vulture killing a mongoose once. By pinning it down with its talons and then tearing it open with its beak.

 

[scuba0095]

cinereous vulture, After seeing a vulture tear apart a huge rock python that was sunning itself I kinda got respect for them as a predator lol The snake was in that slow slugish mode but still it was moving a bit. IT was torn open and eaten alive in seconds. The king vulture group is very powerful and has strong feet. Like the white headed, red headed lapped faced etc..

 

[Cinereous]

cinereous vulture, After seeing a vulture tear apart a huge rock python that was sunning itself I kinda got respect for them as a predator lol The snake was in that slow slugish mode but still it was moving a bit. IT was torn open and eaten alive in seconds. The king vulture group is very powerful and has strong feet. Like the white headed, red headed lapped faced etc..

It's not really a question of if they're capable of killing mink.. The answer is many birds of prey are very capable of killing them.. and some do by some reports.. A lions capable of killing a hyena but they don't bother with them because they fight back and could cause them damage.. Injuries in the wild often wind up in eventually fatalities.. Mink are not a normal prey for most birds of prey because of their aggression...

 

[stevo]

http://www.nrk.no/ostafjells/telemark/kamp-pa-liv-og-dod-1.6328371

Steve.

 

[Phil Andrews]

http://www.nrk.no/ostafjells/telemark/kamp-pa-liv-og-dod-1.6328371

Steve.

Whilst it proves that raptors can take mink it also shows what a dangerous business it is; one false move with the mink freeing its head and its curtains.

At my patch (Upton Warren, Worcs) mink have been observed to kill a full adult Grey Heron.

 

[stevo]

Whilst it proves that raptors can take mink it also shows what a dangerous business it is; one false move with the mink freeing its head and its curtains.

At my patch (Upton Warren, Worcs) mink have been observed to kill a full adult Grey Heron.

Not disputing that for 1 min Phil,vicious blighters mink they`ll even attack fishermen where I live.

Steve.B

 

[scuba0095]

yeah the goshawks feet are not strong enough to kill, but a female red tail should be able


the video does not look so much like an act of predation though looks like the are fighting over food


NO predator was suppose to be a "prey" item what happens is people screw around with stuff and predators do turn into main prey items like feral cats are main prey for many coyotes, and coyotes also look at other predators as main prey, where they are common.


Yellowstone the wolf is always preying on the coyote. Hudson bay area bald eagles are always preying on coons.


California island the grey fox is being prey on so much by golden eagles that it was being totally killed off and something had to be done about it.

When great horned owls dont have much to eat living near people they turn to eating skunks mostly and birds of prey.

 

[martin kitching]

yeah the goshawks feet are not strong enough to kill

I was wondering when we'd get round to that

NO predator was suppose to be a "prey" item what happens is people screw around with stuff

Do you genuinely believe this? Peregrines prey on Merlin , and I'm aware of one incident of a Peregrine predating an entire brood of recently fledged Hen Harriers - nothing to do with human interference. Goshawk prey on Kestrel, Short-eared Owl, Honey Buzzard, Common Buzzard and other raptors - routinely in the case of the smaller raptors, and as a result of population crashes of other prey species in the case of the larger ones.

martin

 

[Bowlander]

A friend recently saw an osprey carrying what he thought was a small black cat - I thought it more likely that it was a mink caught as it crossed a body of water.

 

[JustinG]

Ospreys are purely fish eaters, so that sounds extremely unlikely.