Short communication, Note
The Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis preying on the Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
Adrian Tomik
; I. Meštrovića 74, HR-31326 Darda, Croatia
Abstract
The Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis is an omnivorous bird and an opportunistic
predator known to prey on various animals including other birds. On 6th August 2022 I
was observing Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus feeding their young in crevices under the eaves
of a house near the port of Rijeka. In one moment, a Yellow-legged Gull appeared and
attacked an adult Pallid Swift that was hanging at the entrance of the nest. It caught the
swift in its beak and headed towards the sea, but the victim managed to free itself, and
flew away seemingly unharmed. The gull perfectly timed the attack, thus it was probably
not its first attempt. The predation of the Yellow-legged Gull on the Common Swift Apus
apus is described from several areas in Mediterranean Europe, highlighting the increased
risk for urban colonies of various swift species. Nevertheless, I did not manage to find any
record of this behaviour in the Croatian literature.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
293588
URI
Publication date:
10.2.2023.
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