Buzzard Mobbed by Carrion Crow

[Guinnessman1974]

Why do Crows 'mob' birds of prey such as Buzzards?

[Adam Bimpson]

Crows are large enough to pose a real nusance to most birds of prey. There are three things that really make corvids a pest to raptors:-

1. Intelligence - Their response is slightly more than flight or fight
2. Aerial performance - Their wing shape allows them to turn and stop quickly.
3. Size - Large enough to really harry the raptor.

These three combined give the crows the edge as they are better able to judge just how "far they can go" with a raptor.

Crows will frequently have a go at large raptors, buzzards, goshawks etc. Ravens are very intolerant of Golden Eagles in their territories. Crows will also gang up on raptors, the benefit of numbers.

Hope this helps

Adam

[Picidae]

Several reasons (All corvids engage in mobbing behaviour, even Magpies) WHY they do this

Birds of Prey are obviously a potential threat directly to most birds so it's not just Buzzards that will be mobbed (and not just corvids that do the mobbing, gulls also mob, as do smaller birds)

With c.Buzzards and Crows (Carrion and Rooks) there is overlap in nesting territory and Crows are very territorial near a roost site.

Carrion eaters are often 'kleptoparasitic', ie. they steal food that another bird has killed/taken. Mobbing is often a way of distracting the Bird of Prey, so it drops the prey item.

Interestingly, despite interspecific competition, Rooks and Ravens will often tolerate one breeding pair of BoP (such as Buzzards and Peregrines) in proximity to their own roosts and nests as this helps to deter other intruding raptors (since raptors themselves are very territorial). Likewise the raptor pair will happily nest in close proximity to Raven nests/Rook Colonies yet not predate on their own doorstep. This coexistence also helps the raptor pair's own nest/young from being predated by intruding raptors, Carrion crows and gulls who will get heavily mobbed by the resident Rooks or Ravens.

[Guinnessman1974]

Good comments and useful info, may thanks.

There are good numbers of Jackdaw, Magpie and Crows in my local area. The overlap in territory makes sense as all these birds appear to be nesting in the same forest edges in the local area.

The crow I saw yesterday was really going for the Buzzard, diving toward it and trying to give it a hard time!

[thebeard]

i saw a kestrel being mobbed by swallows the other week, they chased it right off very far!