A House Crow went fishing
Posted by admin on 23 October 06, Monday
Contributed by - see article -
Crows are omnivorous. This means that they eat anything and everything, from grain, fruits, flower nectar, insects, eggs and birdlings, small mammals and what have you. They are scavengers, thriving where there are scraps of food available. That is why they are so successful around urban areas.
We have posted accounts of crows attacking and eating a rat and a bat. We also have an account of a White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) catching a rat swimming in the sea off Changi. But this is the first time we have an account of a House Crow (Corvus splendens) actually fishing.
Meng and Melinda Chan witnessed a House Crow in Punggol last year quietly standing on a rock by the sea. Suddenly it dived into the water and emerged with a fish. With the fish firmly in its bill, it bashed it against the rock until it was stunned or probably dead. Then it started ripping it apart and eating it piece by piece. It was then about 7.00 pm in the evening and the light was low, so the image they managed to capture was not as bright and crisp as they would like it to be.
For the records, there have been reports of House Crows picking fish from shallow water or even plunging into deeper water to fish.
Input and image by Meng and Melinda Chan. Thanks to Kok Hui we have the correct ID of the bird in the above image.
Reference: Madge, S. & Burn, H. (1994). Crows and jays. London: Christopher Helm.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. |
Categories: Crows, Feeding strategy, Feeding-vertebrates
Comment by Kok Hui
Made Tuesday, 24 of October , 2006 at 9:40 am
Hi, I think that is a house crow you have there because of the grey neck and no bump on the head. Using the bill size to identify the large-billed crow is unreliable. Also don’t really expect large-billed crows to be seen in Punggol as they are more of a forest bird now (driven in since the house crows were introduced here).
Comment by YC
Made Tuesday, 24 of October , 2006 at 10:18 am
Thanks Kok Hui, you are right. I will amend.
Comment by Thailand Bird Watching
Made Tuesday, 28 of November , 2006 at 12:47 pm
Good evening I like your website, I learned a lot of interesting things I will be sure to pass it along.
