Buzzard Siblings Squabble Over Pigeon Meal on Farm
A trail camera on a Norfolk farm captures juvenile buzzards bickering over a dead pigeon, illustrating the competitive dynamics before the young birds must
A pair of juvenile buzzards were filmed in a clumsy squabble over a dead pigeon on a farm, according to a country diary entry by Kate Blincoe for The Guardian. The footage, captured by a trail camera placed by the author's father, shows the young birds of prey negotiating a meal delivery from their parents.
Sibling Rivalry on a Hay Bale
One young buzzard claimed the pigeon carcass on a hay bale and turned its back on its sibling. It then performed a behavior known as "mantling," spreading its wings around the food to create a barrier. The other bird appeared disgruntled, shifting around with its head down as it tried to devise a plan to get a share.
The excluded bird first attempted to sneak a leg under its sibling's defensive wings, which prompted a shrill screech of reprimand. Opting for a different tactic, it then became persistently annoying until it finally provoked the pigeon-possessor to rise up in attack. The confrontation led to a moment where both birds overbalanced and tumbled off the side of the hay bale.
A Buzzard's Varied Life
Three pairs of buzzards nest on the farm, with each nearby wood hosting a couple. The birds are usually seen soaring on thermals above the farmland or loafing in the woodland canopy, appearing by turns majestic and clumsy. Blincoe notes that buzzards have persisted and recently increased in numbers despite centuries of persecution and a major decline in their rabbit prey due to the myxomatosis outbreak in the 1950s.
The hay bales used as a feeding platform have now been cleared from the fields. This means the new generation of buzzards filmed in the sibling drama must now fend for themselves.
Other Wildlife on the Farm
The buzzard activity was not the only wildlife observation. The author's father had previously witnessed an adult buzzard executing a lazy but effective hunting strategy. The buzzard waited in a tree before dive-bombing a peregrine falcon that had just caught a pigeon. The peregrine dropped its prey, which the buzzard then retrieved and delivered to the hay bale.
Meanwhile, a mother mallard duck in the farmyard started with a late brood of 12 ducklings. Their numbers have since diminished each night, with only eight remaining at the time of writing. While still an impressive number in the context of reproduction, the ducklings have a long way to go before they reach independence.
