Interaction between the White-tailed Eagle and Common Buzzard estimated by diet analysis and brood defence behaviour

• Main Authors: Kamarauskaite, Ausra, Dementavicius, Deivis, Skuja, Saulis, Dagys, Mindaugas, Treinys, Rimgaudas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BirdLife Finland 2020
• Subjects: Haliaeetus albicilla; White-tailed eagle
• Online Access: https://ornisfennica.journal.fi/article/view/133963

Recent evidence suggests that the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) – the largest avian predator to have recently recovered in Europe – may prey on mesopredators and their broods. Mesopredators may respond to predators near their nests by exhibiting offspring defence behaviour. The present study involved White-tailed Eagle diet analysis, and we report on their predation on Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) nestlings and the results of a field experiment conducted near the nests of Common Buzzards to test how they respond to the appearance of a top predator. The remains of nestling Common Buzzards were observed in 9% of successful nests, while evidence on the consumption of other raptor species was scarce. Additionally, our results indicate that habitat and pair/territory identity may explain the probability of predation on mesopredators, thus suggesting a spatially varying effect on smaller raptors.