The latest Predator Free NZ post has an article on Predation on Fantail nests.
See below (the address seems rather long).
https://predatorfreenz.org/nesting-fant ... ad121ce78f
The comment is made
“Three avian predation events were recorded: two by the introduced blackbird and one by the native owl.”
The 'native owl', curious name, was no surprise - but blackbirds?
Has anyone heard of blackbird predation on nests?
Blackbirds are spread deep into the NZ bush, and offshore islands.
Are we missing a trick here, or is the blackbird predation of nests of NZ endemics recorded here an anomaly?
Predation by Blackbirds
- Weka1
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- Neil Fitzgerald
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Re: Predation by Blackbirds
From memory that paper was in an overseas journal, hence the description of the owl being native. As for blackbirds, I don't think we should be too surprised that an omnivorous bird takes some eggs of others, but if it was widespread in native forests (as blackbirds are) you'd think it would be reported more. Also, blackbirds tend to decline when native birds are released from mammalian predation, so that might reduce the b'bird threat further.
I think the real underappreciated threat from b'birds is, I think, predation on native invertebrates.
I think the real underappreciated threat from b'birds is, I think, predation on native invertebrates.