Cooperative attacks by urban Peregrines on Common Buzzards

Cooperative attacks by urban Peregrines on Common Buzzards

Abstract

Observations of the Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus that nest on a church in Exeter city centre have revealed levels of interspecific aggression previously unrecorded in Britain. This paper summarises the frequency and timing of coordinated attacks on Common Buzzards Buteo buteo, several of which proved fatal. The strategy employed by the Peregrines during a typical attack is described and illustrated.

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