ML619425093

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

First two photos by Dr. Amrit Kannan; the two dead chick photos by Llewelyn Cason and Emily Harris respectively. Other photos by Lucy Jacobson and James Randolph. The group witnessed and photo-documented a strange but fascinating spectacle of infanticide. A platform nest was discovered on a pine tree, attended by three adults. One of them was seen grabbing an altricial chick that was begging for food. The adult was seen physically molesting the chick, repeatedly hacking it with its bill. The chick kept screaming. The adult then dragged the chick out of the nest and flew to the ground, whereupon it continued to maul the screaming but progressively weakening chick. The chick eventually died. The adult continued to peck away at the corpse. The head of the chick got bloody and so did the branch. We then ran toward the adult to force it to release the chick so that we can get a photo of the chick. We got many photos and even a video of the sequence, which will be uploaded later. The photo of the chick revealed bluish feathers and the beak was very corvid in shape. In response to my inquiry and sending this link, H. Lee Jones commented: "It is most likely that the chick was smaller/weaker than the other chicks because it may have been the last of several chicks to hatch and smaller or weaker, and thus less likely to survive. Continuing to care for it would take away to some degree from caring for the other chicks. Infanticide is not uncommon, not only in birds, but across the animal kingdom from invertebrates to higher mammals, and is practiced to help ensure the survival of the other chicks, especially when food resources are relatively scarce; this was a larger than typical brood; or one of the adult pair has died. I am sure there are other explanations, but one these seems to be the most likely."

Technical information

Dimensions

3162 pixels x 2108 pixels

Original file size

2.12 MB