Abstract
The predation of invasive signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) by several nesting pairs of lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 is reported from Steep Holm (51°20.39' N, 3°6.53' W), one of two small islands located in the inner Bristol Channel, United Kingdom. This feeding activity was subsequently observed at a pond in South Wales.
Highlights
Steep Holm (51°20.39' N, 3°6.53' W) is one of two small islands that mark the transition between the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, United Kingdom (Figure 1), lying approximately 8 kilometres west of Westonsuper-Mare in Somerset and 13 kilometres south of Cardiff
The majority of gulls on the island are comprised of herring gull (Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763), greater black-backed gull (L. marinus Linnaeus, 1758) and lesser blackbacked gull (L. fuscus Linnaeus, 1758)
The feeding of lesser black-backed gulls on Steep Holm Island is of interest as the birds have had to forage for invasive signal crayfish in rivers further afield on the mainland
Summary
Steep Holm (51°20.39' N, 3°6.53' W) is one of two small islands that mark the transition between the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, United Kingdom (Figure 1), lying approximately 8 kilometres west of Westonsuper-Mare in Somerset and 13 kilometres south of Cardiff. Cheliped fragments found in the nest (Figures 3-4) were identified as those of the signal crayfish, P. leniusculus and confirmed through examination of comparative material from a pond in South Wales (Figure 5). Other records in southwest Britain (Holdich and Sibley 2009) and South Wales suggest that the crayfish may well be more widely distributed around the Bristol Channel.
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