Hunter sparrows: a predation record of a House Sparrow on Kentish Plover nestlings

dc.contributor.author Quesada, Javier ca
dc.contributor.author Pàmies, Enric ca
dc.contributor.author Oliver, Carles ca
dc.contributor.author MacGregor-Fors, Ian ca
dc.contributor.other Consorci del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona ca
dc.date.accessioned 2025-11-05T13:10:33Z
dc.date.available 2025-11-05T13:10:33Z
dc.date.issued 2022-12
dc.description Many bird species with behavioural plasticity innovate when searching for alternative trophic resources, mainly during periods of energetic constraints, when colonizing new habitats, or during the breeding season when the demand for protein is higher. For example, the consumption of meat by non-carnivorous bird species has been anecdotally documented, so that non-carnivorous passerine species may prey on other bird species in periods of high demand for protein. In this case, we report the predation of a Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus nestling by a House Sparrow Passer domesticus. We observed this event during the 2021 breeding season at a Kentish Plover breeding site in Altafulla (Catalonia, Spain). We observed an attack by at least one male House Sparrow on two K entish Plover nestlings from the same nest, of which only one attack was successful. The predation on the second nestling was repelled by its parents. The House Sparrow has a wide dietary range and is known to be capable of killing other birds and ingesting meat. The witnessed attack seemed to be performed by a single male House Sparrow, although another male could have been involved. This observation highlights the flexibility of the House Sparrow when acquiring dietary resources and underlines the broad food spectrum of this generalist species.
dc.format application/pdf ca
dc.format.extent 6 p. ca
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2072/530470
dc.identifier https://doi.org/10.2436/20.8100.01.38
dc.identifier.citation Revista Catalana d’Ornitologia 38 (2022), p. 37-42 ca
dc.identifier.entitat consorcis ca
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/11703/129056
dc.language eng ca
dc.provenance Recercat (Dipòsit de la Recerca de Catalunya) ca
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject Ocells ca
dc.subject Pardals ca
dc.subject Nius d'ocells ca
dc.subject Catalunya ca
dc.subject Península Ibèrica ca
dc.subject Fenotip ca
dc.subject Predació (Biologia) ca
dc.subject Caradriformes ca
dc.subject.category Ciència i tecnologia ca
dc.subject.forma articles ca
dc.title Hunter sparrows: a predation record of a House Sparrow on Kentish Plover nestlings
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver info:eu-repo/semantics/article ca
metadadalocal.dependencia 8008920

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