Double kleptoparasitism involving Common Raven and two raptors in the Canary Islands

Double kleptoparasitism involving Common Raven and two raptors in the Canary Islands

On 23rd January 2018, at Valle de Arriba, an open valley with cultivated areas and a small village in southwest Tenerife, Canary Islands, a Common Raven Corvus corax was seen persistently harassing a Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus that was carrying a small prey item (plate 138), later identified as a Canary Islands Lizard Gallotia galloti. After almost a minute of being chased, the Kestrel, which constantly emitted alarm calls, was forced to release the prey and the Raven caught it in mid-air. About 80seconds later, a Common Buzzard Buteo buteo began a persistent chase of the Raven, mostly flying in parallel with it; despite the Buzzard’s tenacity, pursuing it for more than 30secondsover a 400-m stretch, the Raven did not release the prey and carried it away from the site. Kleptoparasitism is a behaviour very well known to ornithologists, but we believe that consecutive attempts, such as observed here, are rare.

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