I don't know if you are aware of this recent research on Eleonora's falcon feeding habits, suggesting they manipulate preyed-upon birds to "keep them alive" until consumed.
I couldn't find any piece about this in English, the original research is published in French by a team of scientists working in the big colony nesting at Essaouira islands in Morocco in the following paper:
Qninba, A., A. Benhoussa, M. Radi, A. El Idrissi, H. Bousadik, B. Badaoui & M.A. El Agbani. 2015. Mode de prédation très particulier du faucon d’Éléonore Falco eleonorae sur l’Archipel d’Essaouira (Maroc Atlantique). Alauda, 83(2): 149-150
Alauda is the journal of the French Society of Ornithological Studies (SEOF).
I haven't been able to read the paper itself, coming along this info through the blog of the Spanish Ornitological Society, in an entry which also includes a couple of photos (beware!) of this behaviour from which I quote:
"Is during this project that a surprising observation has been made.... As the availability of prey can fluctuate, many falcons mutilate them plucking feathers from wings and tail to inhibit them from flying and placing (sic) them in cracks and bottom of holes on rocks. This behaviour, already known by local fishermen, has been registered and published recently by Qninba et al."
http://www.seo.org/blog/eleonora-el-halcon-que-almacena-presas-vivas-por-jorge-f-orueta/ (in Spanish)
I couldn't find any piece about this in English, the original research is published in French by a team of scientists working in the big colony nesting at Essaouira islands in Morocco in the following paper:
Qninba, A., A. Benhoussa, M. Radi, A. El Idrissi, H. Bousadik, B. Badaoui & M.A. El Agbani. 2015. Mode de prédation très particulier du faucon d’Éléonore Falco eleonorae sur l’Archipel d’Essaouira (Maroc Atlantique). Alauda, 83(2): 149-150
Alauda is the journal of the French Society of Ornithological Studies (SEOF).
I haven't been able to read the paper itself, coming along this info through the blog of the Spanish Ornitological Society, in an entry which also includes a couple of photos (beware!) of this behaviour from which I quote:
"Is during this project that a surprising observation has been made.... As the availability of prey can fluctuate, many falcons mutilate them plucking feathers from wings and tail to inhibit them from flying and placing (sic) them in cracks and bottom of holes on rocks. This behaviour, already known by local fishermen, has been registered and published recently by Qninba et al."
http://www.seo.org/blog/eleonora-el-halcon-que-almacena-presas-vivas-por-jorge-f-orueta/ (in Spanish)
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