[Odonata-l] Fwd: [NEOORN-L] Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night-heron) fishing with Dragonflies

[Dennis Paulson]

Here is a fascinating use of a dragonfly!
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 10:25:23 -0400
> From: Fabrice <fabrschmitt at YAHOO.COM.AR>
> Reply-To: Bulletin Board for Ornithologists working with  
> Neotropical Birds
>     <NEOORN-L at LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
> To: NEOORN-L at LISTSERV.LSU.EDU
> Subject: [NEOORN-L] Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night-heron)
>     fishing with Dragonflies
>
> Hi
>
>
> I just saw a very interesting film done in Chile.
>
> First, it show an inmature Nycticorax nycticorax [Black-crowned  
> Night-Heron] hunting flying insect.
>
> Then you see the same bird, with a dead dragonfly in the beak,  
> putting the insect in the water in front of him. Then he wait that  
> small fishes come to eat the dragonfly, and catch this small fishes.
> He use the same dragonfly to catch different fishes (at least 3,  
> but I didn't see the complete film... only a 5 min abstract from a  
> one hour film).
> When the movement of the water (particularly when the heron catch a  
> fish) move the dragonfly a little bit too far, he take the  
> dragonfly and put it closer to him. He do this several times.
>
> Daniela Siel, who made this film, saw this behaviour two times. In  
> fact, when she told what she saw to her friends, they didn't really  
> believe her... so she decided to go back and she realised this  
> wondeful video.
>
> Now, she will try to make a web-page in order to show this to  
> everybody who could be interested.
>
> She is also looking for any references concerning such kind of  
> behaviour. Is the Black-crowned Night-heron known to hunt with  
> "soft food" (is this the word ?). I already heard about Butorides  
> sp. hunting with bread, but never of a heron hunting with a natural  
> soft food.
>
> Thanks a lot for your commentary about this behaviour, and for any  
> references you can send us concerning similar behaviour,
>
> Fabrice Schmitt
>
>
>
>

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