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Subject: [Hong Kong] ID please - dead and alive [Print This Page]

Author: irsychan Time: 28/04/2015 23:24 Subject: ID please - dead and alive

(1) Is the gull an immature Glaucous Gull?
(2) Please help ID the bird (?) in the gull's mouth.
Photos were taken on 13th April 2015 at Mai Po boardwalk.

[ Last edited by irsychan at 28/04/2015 23:29 ]

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Author: lpaul Time: 29/04/2015 12:09

The gull is a first-year Black-tailed. The food item appears to be a tiny, black-legged shorebird, so most likely Red-necked Stint.

Author: Jonathmartinez Time: 29/04/2015 14:18

luckily for the gull did'nt wear any flag:-)

Author: kmatthew Time: 29/04/2015 16:39

Amazing to see that it can swallow the stint whole...Thanks for sharing!

Author: irsychan Time: 29/04/2015 21:57

Quote:

Original posted by lpaul at 29/04/2015 12:09
The gull is a first-year Black-tailed. The food item appears to be a tiny, black-legged shorebird, so most likely Red-necked Stint.

Thank you. I hope the Spoon-billed Sandpipers know this gull is a bird killer and avoid getting too close to its mouth...

Author: ajohn Time: 30/04/2015 08:54

I'm not sure that the gull would actually have hunted the stint. I haven't previously seen gulls making any attempt to catch birds of any sort, and if this happened regularly I think the shorebirds would be scared of gulls (as they are of other predators).
It may be that the stint was very sick or already dead, and the gull ate it opportunistically as a meal.

Author: irsychan Time: 30/04/2015 17:29

Quote:

Original posted by ajohn at 30/04/2015 08:54
I'm not sure that the gull would actually have hunted the stint. I haven't previously seen gulls making any attempt to catch birds of any sort, and if this happened regularly I think the shorebirds wo ...

Thank you, ajohn for your comment.
Interesting though, there was news (Mirror 13th October 2014, entitled "When seagulls attack: Killer gulls caught drowning and eating pigeons") in London (with photos) that a seagull caught pigeons, drowned them, then ate them at Hyde Park.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/wei ... ulls-caught-4431913

[ Last edited by irsychan at 30/04/2015 22:57 ]

Author: irsychan Time: 30/04/2015 20:57

Quote:

Original posted by kmatthew at 29/04/2015 16:39
Amazing to see that it can swallow the stint whole...Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, kmatthew. I was also astonished to see the gull swallowed a bird.
But this photo taken about half an hour after the gull swallowed the bird shows that the gull has a large mouth.

[ Last edited by irsychan at 30/04/2015 22:40 ]

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Author: wcaptain Time: 7/05/2015 17:23

I was told Black-tailed Gull can eat spoonbill chicks

Author: irsychan Time: 12/05/2015 17:29

Quote:

Original posted by wcaptain at 7/05/2015 17:23
I was told Black-tailed Gull can eat spoonbill chicks

Thank you, wcaptain, for your advice. I think these big gulls will eat whatever that can be swallowed through their mouths. I saw some photo on internet that a seagull killed and swallowed a squirrel!

Other stories of seagulls killing and eating pigeons, this time in Belfast: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.u ... skies-30405859.html

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