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Falcon mobbed by tui
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:27 am
by Commoncopper
I'm pretty sure I saw a falcon yesterday. It was a dark brown bird with a long rectangular tail flying about 20 ft above a road through a bush reserve in New Plymouth. It was accompanied bu several tuis presumably mobbing it.
I can't find a reference to other birds mobbing falcons. Has anyone heard of this behaviour?
Re: Falcon mobbed by tui
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:18 pm
by Finn Davey
It's common for prey animals for mob a predator.
If there's enough of them, of course they're going to drive away the thing that could kill them.
Re: Falcon mobbed by tui
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:41 am
by FraserGurney
Yup it's fairly common for tui to mob falcon, I've seen it happening a few times
Re: Falcon mobbed by tui
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:51 am
by Colin Miskelly
Kia ora
Where I live (central Wellington), hearing tui alarm calls is the usual way that I am alerted to there being a falcon around. Tui often follow falcons (keeping a respectful distance) and dive at them when they perch.
Magpies chase falcons more purposefully than tui, but magpies are scarcer in the city than tui (which are abundant).
Ngā mihi
Colin