ianmichaelthomas
Beatrice, The Female Black breasted buzzard
Instinctive behaviour - uses rocks to break open emu eggs, which are too big to crack with its own talons or beak.
All black-breasted buzzards know instinctively how to break open the gigantic size eggs of emus - too big to pick up or break with talons or beak.
They find a stone, pick it up with their beaks, and throw it at the egg until it breaks! This is purely instinctive behavior - it is not taught. Only one other raptor does the same thing - an African raptor who breaks ostrich eggs - even bigger!
Normally it takes between 4 and 6 throws to break the (plaster cast) emu egg.
Beatrice got it in one shot today!
The Black-breasted Buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon), or Black-breasted Kite, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae and the monotypic genus Hamirostra. Its wing length ranges between 440-500 mm, with females being larger.
t eats rabbits, large lizards, birds and carrion. It will also raid the eggs of ground-nesting birds, breaking large eggs by hurling stones against them with its large beak.
The Black-breasted Buzzard is endemic to Australia (found only there), mainly in the north and in semi-arid and arid central regions. It is rare in eastern, southern coastal or near-coastal mainland.
Habitat
Black-breasted Buzzards are found in lightly timbered plains, open country and tree-lined waterways through inland Australia and in semi-arid or arid regions.
Note : The emu "eggs" are realistic plaster casts - no real emu egg was harmed in this show
Beatrice, The Female Black breasted buzzard
Instinctive behaviour - uses rocks to break open emu eggs, which are too big to crack with its own talons or beak.
All black-breasted buzzards know instinctively how to break open the gigantic size eggs of emus - too big to pick up or break with talons or beak.
They find a stone, pick it up with their beaks, and throw it at the egg until it breaks! This is purely instinctive behavior - it is not taught. Only one other raptor does the same thing - an African raptor who breaks ostrich eggs - even bigger!
Normally it takes between 4 and 6 throws to break the (plaster cast) emu egg.
Beatrice got it in one shot today!
The Black-breasted Buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon), or Black-breasted Kite, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae and the monotypic genus Hamirostra. Its wing length ranges between 440-500 mm, with females being larger.
t eats rabbits, large lizards, birds and carrion. It will also raid the eggs of ground-nesting birds, breaking large eggs by hurling stones against them with its large beak.
The Black-breasted Buzzard is endemic to Australia (found only there), mainly in the north and in semi-arid and arid central regions. It is rare in eastern, southern coastal or near-coastal mainland.
Habitat
Black-breasted Buzzards are found in lightly timbered plains, open country and tree-lined waterways through inland Australia and in semi-arid or arid regions.
Note : The emu "eggs" are realistic plaster casts - no real emu egg was harmed in this show