Frugivory in Raptors: New Observations from Australia and a Global Review

James A. Fitzsimons, Jack Leighton
2021 Birds  
The diets of raptors are some of the best studied and well-known of all bird groups. Raptors are typically carnivores, hunting and feeding on vertebrates and, for some species, invertebrates. Here, we described instances of the Black Kite (Milvus migrans) and Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) consuming non-native avocado (Persea americana) fruit in commercial orchards in northern Australia, over multiple years. This appears to be the first instance of frugivory by raptors in Australia. We
more » ... iew instances of frugivory for other raptor species globally. This review finds that 29 species of raptor from the families Falconidae, Accipitridae and Cathartidae have been recorded consuming fruit, significantly more than previous reviews.
doi:10.3390/birds2040025 doaj:7f900508fee448e88629780ede414832 fatcat:oelk2aj2zrfyjevrtt5sniwtti