tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post6300438437614892385..comments2023-12-16T02:39:56.603-06:00Comments on Gordon Grice: Mobbing an OwlUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-3961952564714851412012-10-23T16:35:45.574-05:002012-10-23T16:35:45.574-05:00There don't appear to be any serious field stu...There don't appear to be any serious field studies done on the matter, but I would guess that situations where it actually gets as far as killing are an artifact of captivity; in the wild, where a female cockatoo would not be confined to a cage with the male, she can simply fly away and give her mate a chance to cool down.James Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-70281767761424247202012-10-23T02:15:06.134-05:002012-10-23T02:15:06.134-05:00Interesting. Is killing the female an artifact of ...Interesting. Is killing the female an artifact of captivity? <br /><br />I was surprised to discover some years ago that male grizzlies sometimes kill females after mating with them. Not a good way to pass on one's genes. Gordon Gricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13068980330242909601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-75552147705754065942012-10-22T23:31:55.787-05:002012-10-22T23:31:55.787-05:00I hadn't heard about the cockatoo killing a ch...I hadn't heard about the cockatoo killing a child, but it doesn't shock me, given that they can handle a Brazil nut or macadamia like we eat a nice ripe pear or apple. The cockatoos, out of all the parrots I've had dealings with, are the worst to take a bite from--their lower mandible usually has a notch or cusp, so you get a three-pronged bite, and they will often bite and latch on. During the breeding season, the cocks are extremely aggressive--they are often mate-abusive and a wise breeder will often leave the hen flighted and clip the cock's wings to ensure that she can escape him; otherwise the male may kill the hen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />James Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-66923216423120023972012-10-22T22:59:34.346-05:002012-10-22T22:59:34.346-05:00Interesting. Sounds like Hosking brought that on h...Interesting. Sounds like Hosking brought that on himself. Gordon Gricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13068980330242909601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-3429694758552769532012-10-22T22:57:38.576-05:002012-10-22T22:57:38.576-05:00Fascinating. I once shared an apartment with cocka...Fascinating. I once shared an apartment with cockatiel and his human. The bird was too small to be dangerous, but he did attack me whenever he had the chance, apparently from (unwarranted) jealousy. I can imagine the damage a more formidable bird could have accomplished.Gordon Gricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13068980330242909601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-33912949673369762312012-10-22T18:22:43.056-05:002012-10-22T18:22:43.056-05:00PS- Almost forgot... I was in a cage with toucans ...PS- Almost forgot... I was in a cage with toucans as well and I can also testify that they do use their beaks like hammers. I don´t want to imagine what a hornbill could do with its beak.Croconutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-52508424303484006962012-10-22T18:15:58.960-05:002012-10-22T18:15:58.960-05:00I read once of a little girl who died after being ...I read once of a little girl who died after being bitten in the neck by a cockatoo...<br /><br />And I can testify of the jealousy part, as an aunt of mine had a male yellow headed amazon as a pet and every single boyfriend she ever had was in the bird's black book. Croconutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-10611616618393053172012-10-22T18:13:51.785-05:002012-10-22T18:13:51.785-05:00Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente had a lot of respect ...Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente had a lot of respect for the tawny owl (Strix aluco) as well. I translate this from one of his books: <br /><br />"About the size of a barn owl but with a much more robust appearance, the tawny owl posesses extraordinary strength and courage and is not afraid of facing the man who dares get near its chicks (...) Many who have tried have felt the powerful talons of the furious mother sinking on their back, and well known British wildlife photographer Eric Hosking suffered the tragedy of losing an eye when he climbed to a platform from which he planned to photograph a tawny owl nest". <br /><br />Hosking titled his autobiography "An Eye for a Bird" Croconutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8049832311913108906.post-70110383771476072512012-10-22T18:08:47.815-05:002012-10-22T18:08:47.815-05:00A friend of mine who did extensive work in bird sa...A friend of mine who did extensive work in bird sanctuaries and zoos reports that some of the most unpleasant birds to work with from the standpoint of mobbing were the toucans, who would swoop uncomfortably close while squawking and occasionally aiming a jab at her head.<br /><br />My own personal additions to this list (though they weren't covered in the book) would be herons, which we've talked about elsewhere, and large parrots. The beak of a large cockatoo or macaw can break a finger--a child or small woman would probably lose the finger--or rip off part of a face with very little effort, and because a hand-reared one will identify with humans as sexual partners upon maturity, this leads to some rather unpleasant situations if somebody comes between the bird and its perceived "mate."James Smithnoreply@blogger.com