“From far, we saw a flock of black birds on a huge tree. From our earlier trekking trip near the Annapurna trails (Nepal), we saw crows gliding like raptors. So naturally, we thought they were crows. But we were wrong as we approached the tree. There were more birds at the river below the tree. This river called Bagmati River is one of the rivers that flow through Kathmandu. It was heavily polluted, smelly and not a living fish could be seen.
“As we came toward the stinking river, we saw both crows and Black Kites (Milvus migrans) grabbing whatever from the dirty messy river (above). A dead dog was seen floating on the river. Occasionally, the crows would harassed the Black Kites for whatever reason although foods were abundant (top). According to Wikipedia, Black Kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. Well, the black kites have proven just that.”
Forest Ang
Singapore
20th December 2012
BESG
To Forest Ang.
Bird Ecology Study Group Pellets from Tuas: 5. Black-shouldered Kites and House Crows
[…] Crows are highly aggressive and will harass other birds like Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) LINK, Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) LINK and even raptors like White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) LINK and Black Kite (Milvus migrans) LINK. […]