There are no niceties in nature – these pelicans have worked out that bullying the weak pays off.
The group of big-billed thugs which frequent the Myall River at Tea Gardens on the mid-north coast have learned that letting a cormorant do the work, and then ganging up on the smaller birds means a free dinner.
Locals say it is an entirely new habit. The pelicans follow the cormorants as they hunt underwater, then surround any hapless bird which has a fish, or in this case, a small stingray, in its mouth, when it surfaces.
They then wallop the cormorant and poke them with their beaks, sometimes even half swallowing the bird if it refuses to let go.
“This is very interesting behaviour but not surprising – pelicans are not the gentle creatures you might think if you’ve read or seen (the classic Australian book and movie) Storm Boy,” veteran NPWS seabird expert Nicholas Carlile said yesterday.
“Being in a flock means they have probably learned this is a rewarding tactic much more quickly than if they were alone.”
Any seagulls which try to snatch scraps from the battle between pelicans and cormorants had better beware – Mr Carlile said he was had seen pelicans “swallowing seagulls whole”.
Source: news.com.au