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1 March 2014 Predation by a Sharp-shinned Hawk on a Ground-nesting Bird, the White-throated Sparrow
Adam Betuel, Elaina M. Tuttle, Rusty A. Gonser
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Predation at the nest is the largest source of reproductive failure for many species of passerine birds, and so it is important that we understand the details surrounding such predation events. With the advent of small video and temperature recorders, nests can now be monitored remotely and predator identity can be assigned. Using remote data collection techniques, we report the unusual observation of a White-throated Sparrow nestling being taken by a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk. Normally, Sharp-shinned Hawks focus their efforts on fledgling birds; however, if they do take nestlings, they tend to be from arboreal-nesting species. Since the White-throated Sparrow is a ground-nesting passerine, we suspect that a combination of nest location, nest structure, vegetation structure within the territory, and age of the nestlings made this nest an ideal target for an opportunistic young Sharp-shinned Hawk.

© Copyright 2014 by the Wilson Ornithological Society
Adam Betuel, Elaina M. Tuttle, and Rusty A. Gonser "Predation by a Sharp-shinned Hawk on a Ground-nesting Bird, the White-throated Sparrow," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 126(1), 161-165, (1 March 2014). https://doi.org/10.1676/13-094.1
Received: 11 June 2013; Accepted: 1 September 2013; Published: 1 March 2014
KEYWORDS
nestling
predation
Sharp-shinned Hawk
temperature-logger
Video
White-throated Sparrow
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