I studied the diet and foraging behavior of fledgling Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in a mixed-species nesting colony of Black-crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1 of 5 years, cannibalism of nestlings that had fallen or climbed out of nests was common, accounting for 66 of 94 (70.2%) prey items taken by fledglings. Juveniles took younger conspecifics by both predation and scavenging. Isolated incidents of cannibalism among Black-crowned Night-Herons have been reported previously, but not on a colony-wide scale.
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1 March 2006
Widespread Cannibalism by Fledglings in a Nesting Colony of Black‐crowned Night-Herons
Christina Riehl
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 118 • No. 1
March 2006
Vol. 118 • No. 1
March 2006