RaptorBirder
November 25th, 2007, 12:27 PM
Surfbirders,
There's an incredible sequence of photographs published on the following Danish website (see weblink below).
WARNING - some images depict a partially eaten Common Gull so if you feel this may upset you - please don't follow the link!
http://www.dof.dk/index.php?id=nyheder&s=nyheder&m=visning&nyhed_id=433
I find two issues rather strange:
a) The Peregrine (or is it a hybrid?) appears to have a very overgrown upper mandible (see fourth image) - this feature suggests that it may have been kept in captivity for some considerable time.
b) The sequence depicts atypical behaviour for any falcon because all the true falcons (genus Falco) are equipped with a tomial tooth on each side of their bills and they invariable use this to dislocate the vertebrae of victims very soon after capture, before beginning to pluck and eat.
If this falcon had been kept in captivity for a long time it would have typically been fed on dead food (eg. day-old chicks, quail, etc.) and therefore perhaps it could simply have 'forgotten' about the need to despatch live prey before feeding?
Are there any Danish Surfbirder's who could provide a summary translation of the text please?
Any other thoughts?
There's an incredible sequence of photographs published on the following Danish website (see weblink below).
WARNING - some images depict a partially eaten Common Gull so if you feel this may upset you - please don't follow the link!
http://www.dof.dk/index.php?id=nyheder&s=nyheder&m=visning&nyhed_id=433
I find two issues rather strange:
a) The Peregrine (or is it a hybrid?) appears to have a very overgrown upper mandible (see fourth image) - this feature suggests that it may have been kept in captivity for some considerable time.
b) The sequence depicts atypical behaviour for any falcon because all the true falcons (genus Falco) are equipped with a tomial tooth on each side of their bills and they invariable use this to dislocate the vertebrae of victims very soon after capture, before beginning to pluck and eat.
If this falcon had been kept in captivity for a long time it would have typically been fed on dead food (eg. day-old chicks, quail, etc.) and therefore perhaps it could simply have 'forgotten' about the need to despatch live prey before feeding?
Are there any Danish Surfbirder's who could provide a summary translation of the text please?
Any other thoughts?