NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

THE KINGFISHER'S FOOD

CULLS ATTACKING SPARROWS

(By E. H. D. Stidolph, K.A.0.U.)

Eeeent reference to the red-billed gull in this column has brought, forth aa interesting observation from, Mr. \y. |W. Smith, of New Plymouth, a noted New Zealand uaturc-lover. Ho states: "In regard to your article published iv. Saturday's 'Post' on the red-billed gull, l may mention to you a habit of tho gull which I have observed during the last three years. I frequently walk along the sea-shore between New Plymouth and Moturoa and in the reverse direction to the Waiwakaiho Ifiver. This beautiful little gull is very plentiful a,long the shore at New Plymouth. Tho introduced house sparrow is also very common here. When rambling I have of ten., observed the beaks, feathers, and feet of these birds near the share. During two mornings I saw the gulls trying to capture the sparrows, but they failed to do so. Since I first noticed the gulls attacking the sparrows I still find the remains of these birds. Though I have not seen the gulls kill a sparro\v,.l am convinced,'^ . J.ir. Smith continues, "that they do occasional!) succeed in killing them. I have seen four attacking a number of sparrows feeding on the railway line." This is the first time that a report has come to hand of the red-billed gull killing adult birds, I although it is . rather a failing of this I gull to seize and. devour young birds or eggs in the breeding places of certain sea-birds. The white-fronted teru is a great sufferer in thi3 respect. Although the red-billed gull is a dainty bird in appearance, its reputation is not enhanced by the report which has come to hand from New Plymouth.

Curiously enough, another report ia which the sparrow was also the victim has been received from a resident of Mastertoa. On Friday of last we«k ,» kingfisher was seen flying from the ground, near Villa street, with a eparrow in its bill. The sparrow was screaming in a, terrified manner. The kingfisher -alighted on a street wire, and tb* captive continued its wild protestatiuus. Fortunately for the Bpa,rrqw, however, it managed to struggle free, minus a number'of its feathers, which ' were left in the kingfisher's bill. The kingfisher is quite capable of making a feast off a sparrow or * white-eye which, it has captured, and a number of instances, are on record of sjich tragic occurrences. . ; .;'in fact, the name.kingfisher, is really a misnomer as-far as the New Zealand bird is concerned, as it appears to . be the case; that, fish actually forms but a very'small percentage of the kingfisher's food. '■' The variety of its food is somewhat surprising. Mr.-, Bi A. Falla, of Auckland, who was a membev of the Mawson Antarctic Expedition, has recorded interesting observations on tho diet of the kingfisher in the neighbourhood of A :ckland and also' in the North Auck- *

land district. He states that as prob-' ably 90 ncr cent, of the kingfisher* of the Auckland district live on the banks of tidal creeks and estuaries, where thej appear to feed exclusively on small crabs, these form the most important item as far as that district ia concerned. The concrete casing of the drain which runs across 'Hobson Bay, Mr. Falla records, is often dotted for its whole length of over a mile with the pellets of indigestible parts which the bird voids from its, crop. One' day's collection of these pellets contained tha remains of over a thousand small crabs.

Mr. Falia states that the inland birds in the Auckland district are mainly insectivorous. They usually stay the whole year round in one locality md feed an whatever insect is most abundant at the time. In the spring of one year the kingfishers at one end of the Auckland Domain appeared to be living on crickets, judging from the few pellets found. The birds which Mr. Falla had under observation in the Domain frequently hunted in the vegetable gardens, but he could not always diecover what insects they were taking. Ants often appeared to be the victims. They seem to prefer, he states, largfer insects when obtainable and are frequently seen with dragon flien and cicadas. Soft-bodied larvae were seen being given to the nestlings on several occasions. Worms, mice, and; lizard* are also eaten. In ;the North Auckland peninsula, where the kingfisher is probably more common than in any other part of New Zealand,, ife chief food consists of crabs, crickets, longhorned grasshoppers, and probably, locusts.' Crickets in that part of NewZealand constitute a veritable' pest, in the words of Dr. J. S. Myers and Mr. Esmond Atkinson, particularly abundant on recent bush burns, where much of the young grass.is destroyed by them and establishment frequently delayed. Those two authorities believo thaf the unusually large; numbers of 'kingfishers in the peninsula'are'due_ to the tremendous access of food supplied by the crickets, and unquestionably the most plentiful kingfisher food in the north of New Zealand is formed by the seething grasshopper and cricket popii' lation of the northern grasslands.

Kingfishers observed on the Pahautanui reach of Porirua Harbour in September were feeding almost entirely on crabs. One particular bird which flew to a tree with a crab in its bill proceeded in the usual kingfisher style to batter the victim into the desired shape on the bough of the tree, first on the left side and then on the right. The crab formed quite a bulky mouthful, but with a stretching of the neck the bird, after 'several attempts, managed to swallow its prey.