Repetitive confrontations between Australian Ravens (Corvus coronoides) and lone Australasian Darters (Anhinga novaehollandiae)

Abstract

Aggressive confrontations between different species of birds are commonly reported in scientific literature. In particular, the Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) engages in confrontations with other birds, including competitions for food resources, kleptoparasitism, nest defense, and retaliation against mobbing birds. Herein, I report repeated observations of multiple ravens staging confrontations against lone Australasian Darters (Anhinga novaehollandiae) in an urban park in Sydney, Australia. During these confrontations, ravens enclosed around the darters and both species exhibited bill gaping and snap-threats. In some confrontations, ravens divebombed the darters from behind. These behaviors are found in scientific literature for each species, respectively; however, the motivation behind these confrontations was not clear.