HKBWS BBS 香港觀鳥會新聞組


    
      
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        Special Topics 特別主題 >> Black-eared Kite 鳶(麻鷹) >>  Unusual behaviour?
        
(Message started by: Andrew on Jan 30^th, 2006, 8:55pm)

Title: Unusual behaviour?
Post by Andrew on Jan 30^th, 2006, 8:55pm

http://upload.pbase.com/image/55486760.jpg

This is a very poor picture but I kept it because I was surprised at this birds behaviour. Several times it plunged deep into the undergrowth, apparently hunting, although when it emerged I didn't see any prey. I have not seen kites do this before and I wondered what it might be trying to catch. This seemed more like an accipiter hunting technique than a kite. Any comments / enlightenment appreciated. Thanks

Andrew

Title: Re: Unusual behaviour?
Post by miket on Jan 30^th, 2006, 10:13pm

No expert myself, Andrew, but two possibilities are:

a) (most likely) there was some type of highly attractive carrion on the ground among the trees where you saw the bird - I don't think kites generally "hunt" as such, and when they swoop down on roadsides and amongst trees etc, this is usually the reason.

b) (less likely) prospective breeding behaviour of some type may have been involved - around this time last year where I live in Hing Keng Shek, kites were regularly to be seen in and around the treetops, calling a lot and generally interacting. Of course the "undergrowth" you mention does not exactly fit that.

Possibilities at least...

Mike Turnbull

Title: Re: Unusual behaviour?
Post by Andrew on Jan 30^th, 2006, 10:30pm

Mike, thanks for the suggestions. I think 1 is more likely than 2. The kites over here show what I would regard as likely courtship displays by forming pairs in the air and swooping past one another and on one occasion I have seen them appear to pass something from one to another like harriers. It is quite possible that there is carrion in that section of the undergrowth - it is private (government) land and there is no access to check. I will watch again tomorrow if the weather is warm enough to sit out and read as I was doing today. Not much at Ho Chung recently. Are you having any better luck?

Incidentally, I was at Roger Kendrick's house last night and mentioned the bird song CD I have. He thought you had compiled it and that Richard Lewthwaite had the master copy. I knew Richard was a keen recorder as I went with him, Richard Stott and Mike Kilburn to Ba Bao Shan and Che Ba Ling some years ago and Richard was recording non-stop! I was gutted at the destruction of the Blyth's kingfisher habitat as reported in the HKBWS journal.

regards

Andrew

Title: Re: Unusual behaviour?
Post by Andrew on Jan 31^st, 2006, 8:39pm

I watched the kites again today and once more a bird dived into the lower tree branches, almost at ground level. It disappeared and suddenly a crow shot out so I suspect the kite was harrassing the crows, which in turn harrass the magpies, which in turn.........

The magpies are currently stick collecting and maybe all the birds are feeling territorial.