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Bird of Prey being chased by Crows

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  • 04-01-2010 3:00pm
    #1
    secman
    Registered Users Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭


    Down in Wexford over the festive season, whilst driving very very slowly in the prevailing conditions I noticed a large flock of Crows acting very aggitated .I then noticed a fairly large bird of Prey landing on a Telephone pole and then the flock of crows flew at the much larger bird and chased it away. Is this common enough, Crows can be alrge enough, but they appeared very small compared to this bird of Prey, predominately brown in colour. Any idea what it might have been ?


    Secman
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    #2
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    This type mobbing behaviour is very common.

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/watchingbirds/behaviour/mobbing.asp

    Crows do it and I've seen Thrushes and Blackbirds do it in the breeding season.

    The bird of prey in question was most lokely a Buzzard,


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    #3
    getz
    Registered Users Posts: 5,255 ✭✭✭getz


    secman wrote: »
    Down in Wexford over the festive season, whilst driving very very slowly in the prevailing conditions I noticed a large flock of Crows acting very aggitated .I then noticed a fairly large bird of Prey landing on a Telephone pole and then the flock of crows flew at the much larger bird and chased it away. Is this common enough, Crows can be alrge enough, but they appeared very small compared to this bird of Prey, predominately brown in colour. Any idea what it might have been ?


    Secman
    you may be talking about the rook,it is a smaller crow who live in colonies at the top of trees, the larger crow lives in pairs and is known kill birds of prey in self defence,i have been lucky enough to see one attacked


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    #4
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    getz wrote: »
    you may be talking about the rook,it is a smaller crow who live in colonies at the top of trees, the larger crow lives in pairs and is known kill birds of prey in self defence,i have been lucky enough to see one attacked

    You have totally lost me there. By "larger Crow" do you mean a Raven or a Hooded Crow, or something else? The killing of bird of prey by Ravens or Hooded Crows is extremely rare. Could you please elaborate.


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    #5
    getz
    Registered Users Posts: 5,255 ✭✭✭getz


    Isabelle Better Pit wrote: »
    You have totally lost me there. By "larger Crow" do you mean a Raven or a Hooded Crow, or something else? The killing of bird of prey by Ravens or Hooded Crows is extremely rare. Could you please elaborate.
    the crow i was talking about is called the carrion crow [corvus corone corone] i believe that it is now not as common in ireland,as they interbreed with the hooded crow,if ever you watch a bird of pray attack them they will spin round and both will drop down to the ground,the one i watched waited untill the hawk died the pecked the flesh from it .


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    #6
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    The Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) is a Sub Species. Carrion Crow is certainly not as common here - we don't have them at all.

    No such bird of prey killing activity among our Hooded Crows. Of course it will have happened at some point but it's not normal behaviour and certainly not what the OP observered.


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    #7
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    Thought I read lately that the hooded crow was now a species (if that's the right word) in itself, within the corvid family. Can't remember where I saw that, but it was in the past few months.


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    #8
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭Dusty87


    johngalway wrote: »
    Thought I read lately that the hooded crow was now a species (if that's the right word) in itself, within the corvid family. Can't remember where I saw that, but it was in the past few months.

    Yea read that myself johngalway. It was thought there were the one but now its realised they are 2 different species


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    #9
    The Hill Billy
    Registered Users Posts: 22,775 ✭✭✭✭The Hill Billy


    Getting back on-topic - I witnessed something very similar in Donabate last spring. 5 or 6 crows "herded" (for want of a better term) a buzzard towards a much larger flock of crows some 150m away. When the buzzard came near the larger flock there was almighty mayhem with crows darting around the buzzard. However, at no time did the crows appear to come into physical contact with it.

    I don't know how this finished up as after around 10 minutes they all drifted out of sight beyond some trees.


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    #10
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Hill Billy wrote: »
    Getting back on-topic - I witnessed something very similar in Donabate last spring. 5 or 6 crows "herded" (for want of a better term) a buzzard towards a much larger flock of crows some 150m away. When the buzzard came near the larger flock there was almighty mayhem with crows darting around the buzzard. However, at no time did the crows appear to come into physical contact with it.

    I don't know how this finished up as after around 10 minutes they all drifted out of sight beyond some trees.

    It usually finishes up with either the Buzzard perching and ignoring the Crows until they drift away or the Buzzard flies off and the Crows give up the chase.


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