Hi--
This sounds crazy, but I was talking to my dad in Indiana last night. He =
says he watched a robin snatch a fledgling American goldfinch out of the =
air, using its feet. The day before, this goldfinch fledgling was sitting =
on the porch railing, making a commotion at its parents that were on the =
feeder. A robin landed next to the fledgling, and did some sort of =
aggressive display, flapping at it and opening its bill. The youngster =
flapped back at it and the robin flew off.
Now, I've never heard of a robin catching and eating young birds. The only =
possible explanation that I can come up with is that he saw this aggressive=
display one day, then the next day saw a sharp-shinned hawk take the =
goldfinch and just caught a glimpse of the breast. Remembering the events =
of the previous day, he assumed it was a robin?...
My dad's no birder, but I can't believe he'd mistake a sharpie for a =
robin. He says there have been two robins hanging out in the tree next to =
the feeder for about a week, and they've never had robins around the =
feeders in the past. It's all sort of unsettling. Has anyone heard of =
carnivory in robins before? Thanks!
Adam
Richmond
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