Subject: [Tweeters] Male Anna's mortality interaction
Date: Fri May 6 18:52:40 PDT 2022
From: Robert O'Brien - baro at pdx.edu

And on a happier note, years ago a female Anna's at my feeder was buzzed by
a maler, causing the female to exit rapidly, only to fly into and be
impaled, like a dart, on a nearby, open, screen door. It struggled to
extract itself of course, and when It seemed 'stuck' I headed out to
assist, but it succeeded in getting free and flew off as I arrived.. No
hummers were injured in this case.
Bob OBrioen


On Fri, May 6, 2022 at 6:46 PM Robert O'Brien <baro at pdx.edu> wrote:


> On this ugly subject, years ago I photographed an adult Anna's attempting

> to rape a young, out of the nest, fledgling that had a still short beak and

> could not fly very well..

> Bob OBrien

>

>

> On Fri, May 6, 2022 at 6:44 PM Robert O'Brien <baro at pdx.edu> wrote:

>

>> I found it amazing. Almost unbelievable. BUT..............see here.

>> Appears also to be a molting (immature?) Anna's killing an adult.

>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2MSlJEZrj0

>> Bob OBrien Portland

>>

>> On Fri, May 6, 2022 at 5:48 PM Steve Giles <giles.steve at hotmail.com>

>> wrote:

>>

>>> Hello all,

>>>

>>> This morning I witnessed a male Anna's hummingbird impaling another male

>>> Anna's with its beak until it died.

>>>

>>> At about 9 AM I looked out at our feeders and on one of them I saw what

>>> looked like an Anna's perched on top of something dark and horizontal in

>>> the channel of the feeder. The perched bird seemed to be stabbing whatever

>>> it was on with its bill. I looked through my bins and saw that it was

>>> another hummingbird laying on the feeder being repeatedly stabbed by the

>>> bird on top of it. Next I slowly walked out to the feeder and got to within

>>> 18 inches of the activity and had close views of one male Anna's

>>> vigorously impaling another around the head and throat. The attacker was so

>>> consumed by its efforts that it only spooked when I got within a foot of

>>> the scene. This all happened in about fifteen minutes. Finally the prone

>>> bird tumbled off the feeder onto the ground. I later collected it and will

>>> take it to the Burke Museum.

>>>

>>> Has anyone else seen Anna's aggressive behavior rise to this deadly

>>> level?

>>>

>>> Steve Giles

>>>

>>> Camano Island

>>>

>>>

>>>

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>>