Lighting Time

CAMERA acTION LIGHTING Bait fishing also has been recorded in other bird groups. A captive Lesser Black-backed Gull used bread to catch fish in a Durban bird park, and this has since been observed in wild strike Herring Gulls in Paris. Other birds recorded using bread to attract fish include Carrion African Harrier-Hawks Crows (Israel), Pied Kingfishers (Africa) and Black Kites (Australia), and a captive Sunbit- in Cape Town tern used mealworms to lure fish. Bait fishing appears to be a learned behaviour. Proficiency improves with age; adult he African Harrier-Hawk Green-backed Herons use more baits than Polyboroides typus may have lures compared to juveniles, and are more changed its name from Gym- adept at catching fish. The behaviour may Tnogene but hasn’t changed its hunt- spread when birds observe other individuals ing antics. This sequence of images of baiting, but probably arises initially when an an immature bird literally scratching individual learns to associate fish with float- a House Sparrow out of a street light ing items. So-called ‘passive fishing’ provides was photographed by Neil Shannon a plausible intermediate step in this process. in Kenwyn, Cape Town. Several herons have been observed taking fish Having apparently taken a liking attracted to bread thrown into ponds to feed to Cape Town’s greenbelt of leafy TIME ducks or fish, and it is a small step from there suburbs and adjacent plantations to gathering their own bread to use as bait. and forests, Harrier-Hawks are now tool The rather skulking Little Bittern is unlikely fairly frequently seen as they feed Bait fishing by a Little Bittern to have learned this approach in such a setting, on introduced bird species such as this House Sparrow and on the alien he Green-backed Heron is renowned grey squirrels. Although these rap- for fishing using bait (insects, spiders, tors have a varied diet, including worms, bread) or lures (twigs, leaves, reptiles, frogs and small mammals, Tfeathers, paper) to attract fish. The behaviour they particularly favour the eggs is rare, but has been observed in North and and nestlings of smaller birds, often South America, Africa and Asia. Locally, it has colonial nesters like weavers, swal- been noted in Botswana and Kruger National lows and swifts, and will even rob Park (insects) and in Durban (bread). Bait nests at heronries. fishing has attracted considerable attention The Harrier-Hawk’s long legs and because of the apparent intelligence displayed bare facial skin are obvious char- by the bird: one can’t help but be impressed acteristics while it clambers about by the way the herons repeatedly place their on trees, delving into crevices and characteristic, appearing almost bait in just the right place to attract fish within cavities in the hope of grabbing lazy, with deep, slow wing-beats. striking range. hold of any prey that may be taking The forays of this large bird of prey Baiting is not confined to the Green- refuge. Although seemingly clumsy into Cape Town’s suburbs are some- backed Heron; it has been recorded in four with broad, outstretched wings what unexpected, so it is perhaps not other herons – Little Egrets in Kenya (bread), flapping while the bird moves from surprising that of all the enquiries Goliath Herons in Tanzania (sticks), Squac- PHILLIP GREEN (2) branch to branch, these are per- we receive from the public request- co Herons in Botswana (insects), and Black- sistent, successful hunters. Their ing the identification of a raptor, the crowned Night Herons in the USA (bread). on the surface of the water, watch it intently, but young piscivores often hone their hunting legs are uniquely adapted to bend majority involve immature African Phillip Green’s photographs of a young Lit- then retrieve it when it started to drift out skills by repeatedly catching sticks and other backwards and sideways at the Harrier-Hawks such as this. tle Bittern, taken at Rondevlei, Cape Town, of range. This process was repeated sev- non-prey items. The bittern probably learned tarsal joint, enabling them to dig ROB LIttle on 8 May 2010, show that this species also eral times, but unfortunately he did not see that dropping such items onto the water some- into awkward small spaces for their PERCY FITZPatrICK INSTITUTE, occasionally baits for fish. Phillip watched whether the bittern’s patience was rewarded times resulted in an easy meal. prey. Their buoyant flight is also UCT the bittern repeatedly place a grasshopper with a fish. PETER RYAN NEIL SHANNON (3) 46 AFRICAN BIRDLIFE MARCH/APRIL 2013 CAMERA ACTION 47.

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