Smeđa čiopa Apus pallidus kao plijen galeba klaukavca Larus michahellis

• Main Author: Tomik, Adrian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Croatian
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Apus apus
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/293588; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/424930

The Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis is an omnivorous bird and an opportunistic predator known to prey on various animals including other birds. On 6th August 2022 I was observing Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus feeding their young in crevices under the eaves of a house near the port of Rijeka. In one moment, a Yellow-legged Gull appeared and attacked an adult Pallid Swift that was hanging at the entrance of the nest. It caught the swift in its beak and headed towards the sea, but the victim managed to free itself, and flew away seemingly unharmed. The gull perfectly timed the attack, thus it was probably not its first attempt. The predation of the Yellow-legged Gull on the Common Swift Apus apus is described from several areas in Mediterranean Europe, highlighting the increased risk for urban colonies of various swift species. Nevertheless, I did not manage to find any record of this behaviour in the Croatian literature.