Abstract
We observed Grey Kingbirds (Tyrannus dominicensis) from late February to May 2007 stealing food items from the bills of Carib Grackles, (Quiscalus lugubris). This behavior occurred at two baited walk-in bird traps on the grounds of Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University in St James. Barbados. Grey Kingbirds were not seen entering traps. but were regularly observed in tree branches near traps, often chasing Carib Grackles and Zenaida Doves (Zenaida aurita) as they exited the traps with food. We describe six instances of kleptoparasitism by Grey Kingbirds from Carib Grackles. To our knowledge. this is the first report of kleptoparasitism for this species.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 655-657 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Wilson journal of ornithology |
Volume | 120 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2008 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgmentsWe thank the staff at Bellairs Research Institute for their support and encouragement. Comments from P. A. Buckley and an anonymous reviewer improved the manuscript greatly. We thank Julie Morand-Ferron, Louis Lefebvre, and Neeltje Boogert for helpful comments on a previous version of this work. This research was funded by NSERC through a graduate fellowship to SEO and a Discovery grant to Louis Lefebvre.
Keywords
- GRAY KINGBIRD
- OYSTERCATCHERS
- BIRDS