Bird Attack Research Articles

A terrestrial-aquatic food web subsidy is potentially mediated by multiple predator effects on an arboreal crab

Terrestrial-aquatic food web subsidies are known to affect food web structure, ecosystem productivity, and stability of recipient habitats. This study describes a prey flux across the land–water interface associated with a behavioral response to multiple predators. Specifically, mangrove tree crabs (Aratus pisonii, hereafter Aratus) are primarily arboreal, but may jump off mangrove trees to escape avian predators, making them vulnerable to fish predation. Mesocosm experiments, field observations, and tethering assays were used to investigate behavioral responses, habitat shifts, and risk for Aratus associated with these two predator types. In the field, Aratus spent most of their time above the water on mangroves, where risk is lowest. In response to simulated bird strikes in mesocosm trials, crabs jumped off trees to escape imminent risk, and spent more time in and near the water, enhancing risk of fish predation. Fish attacks on crabs were nearly three times greater in treatments with simulated bird attacks. In addition, empirical diet data was used to examine the importance of Aratus as a prey item for a fish predator. Aratus represented up to 29% of diet by volume for one of the most common mesopredators in the Caribbean (gray snapper Lutjanus griseus), with the proportion varying greatly across space. Because Aratus consume mangrove-derived carbon, their consumption by aquatic predators represents another pathway by which mangrove production may be incorporated into aquatic food webs. These data suggest how the nexus of behavioral and food web ecology may provide for new perspectives on energy flow between ecosystems.

Can achene selection in sunflower crop–wild hybrids by pre-dispersal seed predators hasten the return to phenotypically wild sunflowers?

Bird attack is a serious limitation to sunflower yield in several regions of the world, but it could also cause selection. The wild Helianthus annuus, naturalized in several regions of the world, hybridizes with the crop and produces crop–wild offspring. It is unknown how the selective force of seed predation by birds could drive evolution after a hybridization event. After two generations of natural selection exerted by birds (mostly by Eared Dove and Monk Parakeets), achene and plant traits of the crop–wild hybrid progeny were compared with the same hybrid progeny without any selection by birds. After two generations of bird selection the achene width, thickness and weight decreased by an average of 18.5, 26.7 and 49.2 %, respectively. Also in response to bird selection there was a correlated increase in the plant height, stem diameter, number of heads and a reduction in head diameter and the number of achenes per head. The phenotype of crop–wild plants selected by birds resembles wild plants, whereas the plants without any selection were intermediate between the parents. These results indicate that selection exerted by birds could result in the rapid evolution of crop–wild sunflower populations.

Reciprocal protection from natural enemies in an ant-wasp association

We show that in French Guiana the large carton nests of Azteca chartifex, a territorially-dominant arboreal dolichoderine ant, are protected from bird attacks when this ant lives in association with Polybia rejecta, an epiponine social wasp. Because A. chartifex colonies are well known for their ability to divert army ant raids from the base of their host tree so that they protect their associated wasps from these raids, there is a reciprocal benefit for these two partners, permitting us to call this association a mutualism. We also show that P. rejecta nests are significantly less often attacked by birds than are those of two compared epiponine social wasp species. Furthermore, experimentation using a standardized protocol demonstrated the significantly higher aggressiveness of P. rejecta compared to seven other wasp species. We conclude that the efficacious protection of its associated ant nests is likely due to the extreme aggressiveness of P. rejecta.

Predation on artificial caterpillars is higher in countryside than near-natural forest habitat in lowland south-western Costa Rica

Abstract:Predation pressure is essential in regulating population dynamics of herbivorous insects. We used artificial caterpillars (25 × 4 mm) made from brown-or green-coloured plasticine to compare predation pressure between countryside and near-natural rain-forest habitat in the Gulfo Dulce region (Costa Rica). Within each habitat, 162 caterpillars were placed randomly on different substrates along a 1200-m transect and at heights between 0.5 and 2.0 m. Artificial caterpillars were inspected at 24-h intervals for 3 consecutive days. Predation pressure was almost twice as high for countryside (mean attack frequency per capita: 1.11 ± 0.08 SE) compared with rain forest (0.66 ± 0.07 SE). In both habitats arthropods emerged as chief predator group, followed by birds. Attacks by non-volant mammals were very rare and restricted to rain-forest sites. In the countryside, bird attacks were more than four times as common as in forest, indicating a change in their relative importance across habitats.

Post harvest handling, assessment of loss and its impact on marketing margin and efficiency of Banana (cv. Robusta) in Karnataka

A study was conducted in Shimoga district of Karnataka during 2012 - 2013 on post-harvest losses (PHL) in banana with the aims: 1) to identity the different marketing practices, 2) to estimate the physical and economic losses at farm, wholesale and retail levels and to identify the causes of losses, 3) to analyse the impact of post harvest loss on marketing cost, price spread and efficiency. Analytical tools such as ratios, percentages, price spread and modified marketing efficiency formula were used. The results indicated that there existed two major marketing channels viz., local market and distant market. The total PHL in the local market was 24.12% which consisted of field level loss (7.64%), transit loss (5.09%), ripening loss (4.95%) and retail level loss (6.44%). In the distant market, Bangalore, the total PHL worked out to 27.18%, the transit and ripening losses being higher (8.31% and 6.11%) than the local market. Harvesting injury, small and immature fruits, canker, cracks, bird attack at the field level; rotten fruits, fungus formation and black layered fruits at the wholesale and retail level were the major factors responsible for post harvest losses. The trend on the impact of PHL on marketing efficiency revealed that the producer's share in the consumer rupee decreased from 48.97% to 45.21%; marketing cost increased from Rs. 0.77 to Rs.3.39 kg−1; efficiency index deteriorated from 0.95 to 0.71 with the inclusion of PHL as an item of cost. The present study revealed that the total quantity of banana (cv. Robusta) lost in Shimoga district amounted to 39325 tonnes (24.12%) worth Rs.42.88 crores

Behavioural responses to simulated bird attacks in marine three-spined sticklebacks after exposure to high CO2 levels

The rising partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in oceanic water, termed ocean acidification, is an impending threat to marine life and has previously been reported to affect several aspects of fish behaviour. We evaluated the behavioural response to a simulated avian predator attack and lateralisation in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) after 10 and 20 days of exposure to present day pCO2 (400μatm) or elevated pCO2 (1000μatm). We show that elevated pCO2 lead to reduced behavioural lateralisation. However, no major differences in the sheltering response after an overhead avian attack were observed; fish from both treatments exhibited similar and strong responses. Compared with fish exposed to high pCO2, the control fish took longer time to freeze (i.e. stop moving) after attack at Day 20 but not Day 10. The freezing duration was significantly reduced between Day 10 and Day 20 in elevated pCO2, whereas no such reduction was observed in the control-group. However, no significant differences between treatment groups were detected at Day 20. These results demonstrate that behaviour is indeed altered by high CO2 levels, although the general responses to avian predation stimuli remain similar to those of unexposed fish, indicating that some predator avoidance behaviours of three-spined sticklebacks are robust to environmental disturbance.

Results of testing three types of streamer lines for reduction of seabird bycatch in demersal longline fishery

The streamer lines of 3 types are tested and compared: i) the model used in the USA Pacific waters; and ii-iii) two new models made of cheaper materials, more accessible in Russia. One new model is similar to the American one but the lateral orange 1/4” Kraton thermoplastic tubes are replaced by orange twisted polyethylene ropes with the diameter 10 mm. Another new model is similar with the former one but its 6 first longest streamers are single instead of double and 1-4 bunches of the yellow polypropylene packing tape (in 6 tapes of 1 m length) are fixed on them. The testing was realized aboard two mid-tonnage vessels for demersal longline fishery in the Far-Eastern Seas of Russia in July-October 2010 and July-August 2013. In total, 223 control longlines with 2 million hooks were set up. The seabird bycatch and frequency of the bird attacks to the bait did not differ significantly between the new models of streamers and the American model, and considerable distinctions in their running abilities were not found, as well, so the streamer lines of easy accessible and cheap materials, able for assembling directly aboard fishing vessels, could be recommended for Russian fishermen for reducing their maintenance charges. Such streamer lines are offered for application to demersal longline fishery in the Far-Eastern Seas of Russia.

Differential detectability of polymorphic warning signals under varying light environments

The striking colour-pattern variation of some aposematic species is paradoxical because selection by predators is expected to favour signal uniformity. Although the mechanisms allowing for the maintenance of such variation are not well understood, possible explanations include both non-adaptive processes like drift and gene flow; and adaptive processes, such as an interaction between natural and sexual selection, spatial and temporal variation in selection, a link between behaviour or other fitness-related traits and phenotype, and predators’ ability to generalise among different signals. Here we test whether warning-signal polymorphisms, such as that of dyeing poison frogs (Dendrobates tinctorius), could be maintained by differences in detectability among morphs. We did experiments in the wild using wax models with different aposematic colour patterns vs. cryptic ones, and examined the attack rates by wild predators over time. We also tested the detectability of different aposematic morphs by ‘human predators’ under different light environments. We found that cryptic frog models were attacked more than aposematic models, but there were no differences in bird attack rates towards the different aposematic morphs. However, we found that detectability of different morphs depends both on predator experience and light environment. We suggest that the interaction between differential detectability and signal efficiency among morphs in different light conditions could be a mechanism aiding to the maintenance of warning-signal polymorphisms. Our results highlight the importance of considering the light environment at which predators have their first encounters with aposematic prey for future studies on predation in the wild.

Bite me: Blue tails as a ‘risky-decoy’ defense tactic for lizards

Abstract Many lizard species use caudal autotomy to escape entrapment. Conspicuous coloration may increase the likelihood of being attacked, but if that attack can be directed towards the autotomous tail this may ultimately increase the chances of the lizard surviving a predatory attack. We tested the hypothesis that brightly-colored tails function to divert predatory attention away from the head and body using pairs of blue-tailed and all-brown clay model lizards. Predatory bird attacks on the 24 blue-tailed models occurred sooner (P = 0.001) than attacks on the 24 all-brown models, and over 7 days blue-tailed models were attacked more often than all-brown models (P = 0.007). Blue-tailed models were, however, more frequently attacked on the tail than other parts of the body (P < 0.001), while all-brown models were more frequently attacked on the head and body (P = 0.019) which would be more likely to be fatal for a real lizard. Our results suggest that models with a blue tail were more conspicuous than all-brown models, attracting attacks sooner and more often, but that the attacks were predominantly directed at the tail. It is better for individuals to be attacked unsuccessfully many times, than successfully just once. Having a brightly-colored tail may, therefore, act as a ‘risky decoy’. Despite increased conspicuousness, a blue tail increases the likelihood that the lizard would be able to effect escape through caudal autotomy rather than being grabbed by the head or body.

Evidence for the Deflective Function of Eyespots in Wild Junonia evarete Cramer (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae).

Junonia evarete Cramer is a fast-flying butterfly that perches on the ground with wings opened exhibiting four eyespots close to wing borders. These eyespots presumably function either to intimidate predators, like insectivorous birds, or to deflect bird attacks to less vital parts of the body. We assessed the form, frequency, and location of beak marks on the wings of wild butterflies in central Brazil during two not consecutive years. We found that almost 50% of males and 80% of females bore signals of predator attacks (wing tears), most of them consisting of partially or totally V-shaped forms apparently produced by birds. Males were significantly less attacked and showed a lower proportion of attacks on eyespots than females, suggesting they are better to escape bird attacks. In contrast, females were heavily attacked on eyespots. Eyespot tears in females were higher (and significant different) than expected by chance, indicating that birds do attempt to reach the eyespots when striking on these butterflies. Other comparisons involving the proportion of tears directed or not directed to eyespots in males and females are presented and discussed.

Factors Responsible for Yield Gap of Wheat at Farmers’ Field in Two Districts of Bangladesh

The main purpose of the research was to identify factors responsible for yield gap in wheat production. Eighteen (18) experiments were conducted in two major wheat growing districts Rangpur and Dinajpur in two consecutive years. The selected varieties for the conducted research were Prodip, Satabdi and Sourav. All the experiments were established in farmers’ fields providing all recommendations for wheat production. It was observed that yield gap varied with the variety and farmers to farmers and location to location. The overall yield gap of Prodip was the highest (18.43 percent) followed by Sourav (18.15 percent) and Satabdi (17.45 percent). Yield gaps of all the wheat varieties under study were higher in Rangpur site than Dinajpur site. The practice gap was the highest in gypsum application (69 percent) followed by boron (67 percent), sowing time (40 percent). Practice gaps in the application of MoP, TSP and irrigation were almost equal, 40 percent, 37 percent, and 36 percent respectively. Late sowing, non use of dolomite and micro nutrients (zinc and boron) in wheat yield with sub-optimal doses of phosphatic and potash fertilizers were the main reasons for yield gap. Adoption of short duration T. aman variety and optimal doses of chemical fertilizers with micro nutrients in wheat field could minimize this gap to a greater extent. Preventive measures against bird attack after sowing of seeds for optimum plant population would have impact in narrow down this yield gap as well.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pa.v23i1-2.16620Progress. Agric. 23(1 & 2): 91 – 99, 2012

Best practice seabird bycatch mitigation for pelagic longline fisheries targeting tuna and related species

We comprehensively tested combinations of three primary mitigation measures in a pelagic longline fishery with one of the highest rates of interaction with what may be the world's most challenging seabird assemblage (dominated by Procellaria genus petrels), aboard fishing vessels typical of the Asian distant water fleet. Multiple measures were used to compare the performance of weighted vs. unweighted branch lines set with two bird-scaring lines – hybrid lines with long and short streamers – during daytime and nighttime. The weights used were a novel double-weight configuration. Secondary attacks on baits brought to the surface by white-chinned petrels drove albatross mortality. Regardless of time of day, weighted branch lines with two bird-scaring lines, deployed and maintained with an aerial extent of 100m, reduced bird attacks by a factor of four, and secondary attacks and seabird mortality by a factor of seven, compared to unweighted branch lines, with little effect on fish catch rates and with no injuries to crew. This combination yielded zero bird mortalities when gear was set at night. We conclude that the simultaneous use of two bird-scaring lines, weighted branch lines and night setting meet our criteria for best-practice seabird bycatch mitigation for the joint-venture fleet targeting tuna and related species in the South African EEZ. To be successful, the aerial extent of bird-scaring lines should be aligned with the distance astern that baited hooks sink beyond the foraging depth of the dominant seabird – in this case white-chinned petrels to a depth near 5m. Given that these measures were successful in one of the most challenging pelagic longline fisheries, they are likely to be widely applicable to pelagic longline fisheries using similar gear.

Bird functional diversity enhances insectivory at forest edges: a transcontinental experiment

AbstractAimThe role of bird–insect interactions in shaping bird distribution patterns at the landscape scale has been seldom investigated. In mosaic landscapes, bird functional diversity is considered to be an important driver of avian insectivory, but depends on forest fragmentation and edge effects from adjacent, non‐forest habitats. In a transcontinental experiment, we investigated edge and landscape effects on bird functional diversity and insectivory in mosaic landscapes of mixed forests and open habitats.LocationNew Zealand and France.MethodsWe paired edge and interior plots in native forest fragments in New Zealand and native plantation forests in France. We sampled bird communities using point‐counts and linear transects respectively and simultaneously quantified avian insectivory as the rate of bird attacks on plasticine models mimicking tree‐feeding Lepidoptera larvae. The same seven life traits and attributes were compiled for French and New Zealand birds, including biogeographic origin, body mass, mobility, foraging method, adult diet, nest location and clutch size. Bird functional diversity was quantified on this multitrait basis by four indices: functional richness, evenness, divergence and dispersion. We used mixed models to test for the effects of forest edges, study area, surrounding landscape diversity and native forest cover on bird functional diversity and insectivory.ResultsWe found higher bird functional richness at forest edges than interiors in New Zealand and lower functional richness at edges in France. However, bird functional evenness and divergence were significantly higher at forest edges in the two countries. Functional evenness and dispersion both increased with landscape diversity and evenness increased with native forest cover. Moreover, bird insectivory increased at forest edges with functional evenness, irrespective of the study area.Main conclusionsWe suggest that intermediate levels of forest fragmentation and edge effects increase avian insectivory in mosaic landscapes, through enhanced functional evenness and trait complementation within predatory bird assemblages.

Reducing seabird bycatch in the South African joint venture tuna fishery using bird-scaring lines, branch line weighting and nighttime setting of hooks

We compared the performance of two bird-scaring line designs (light lines with short streamers vs. hybrid lines with a mix of long and short streamers) deployed in pairs with unweighted branch lines on two joint venture tuna vessels typical of distant-water tuna fisheries in the South Africa Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). We also added weight to a subset of branch lines, and compared the effects of line weighting and night vs. day setting in combination with bird-scaring lines on bird and fish catch rates. White-chinned petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis), a diving seabird, dominated the seabird assemblage; they were the most numerous seabird and they attacked baited hooks and were killed at the highest rates. Secondary attacks – surface foraging albatrosses stealing baits from white-chinned petrels – drove albatross mortality. With hybrid scaring lines deployed, both diving and surface foraging seabirds made fewer attacks (1.5 and 2 times, respectively) within the lines’ 100m aerial extent, where hooks are closest to the surface and birds are most vulnerable to hooking, than with light lines. However, all metrics of comparison between hybrid and light lines were not statistically conclusive, primarily because birds could access baited hooks in areas beyond the protection afforded by bird-scaring lines (aft and to port of their aerial extent). Seabird bycatch rates were 4.6 times higher during daylight hours (2.00 birds/1000 hooks; 52 birds) than at night (0.439 birds/1000 hooks; 28 birds) and night catch rates near the full moon doubled. Bird catch rates were 18 times higher on unweighted branch lines (1.07/1000 hooks; 79 birds) than on weighted branch lines (0.06/1000 hooks; 1 bird) with no detectable effect on fish catch. With respect to streamer lines, our results suggest that in Procellaria petrel dominated systems the aerial extent of bird-scaring lines (of any design) should span the distance that baited hooks are within 10m of the surface to effectively prevent bird attacks on baits. Overall, results suggest that night setting, adequate branch line weighting, and proper deployment of two bird-scaring lines have the potential to reduce seabird bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries without reducing the catch rates of target fishes. Further development of safe, fast-sinking branch line weighting configurations and bird-scaring lines less prone to tangling on fishing gear is critical to this effort.

Bird attacks on a butterfly with marginal eyespots and the role of prey concealment against the background

Small eyespots on butterflies have long been thought to deflect attacks and birds are presumptive drivers selecting for these patterns. However, evidence of this function is still ambiguous. Margin ...

Predator versus Prey: Locust Looming-Detector Neuron and Behavioural Responses to Stimuli Representing Attacking Bird Predators

Many arthropods possess escape-triggering neural mechanisms that help them evade predators. These mechanisms are important neuroethological models, but they are rarely investigated using predator-like stimuli because there is often insufficient information on real predator attacks. Locusts possess uniquely identifiable visual neurons (the descending contralateral movement detectors, DCMDs) that are well-studied looming motion detectors. The DCMDs trigger ‘glides’ in flying locusts, which are hypothesised to be appropriate last-ditch responses to the looms of avian predators. To date it has not been possible to study glides in response to stimuli simulating bird attacks because such attacks have not been characterised. We analyse video of wild black kites attacking flying locusts, and estimate kite attack speeds of 10.8±1.4 m/s. We estimate that the loom of a kite’s thorax towards a locust at these speeds should be characterised by a relatively low ratio of half size to speed (l/|v|) in the range 4–17 ms. Peak DCMD spike rate and gliding response occurrence are known to increase as l/|v| decreases for simple looming shapes. Using simulated looming discs, we investigate these trends and show that both DCMD and behavioural responses are strong to stimuli with kite-like l/|v| ratios. Adding wings to looming discs to produce a more realistic stimulus shape did not disrupt the overall relationships of DCMD and gliding occurrence to stimulus l/|v|. However, adding wings to looming discs did slightly reduce high frequency DCMD spike rates in the final stages of object approach, and slightly delay glide initiation. Looming discs with or without wings triggered glides closer to the time of collision as l/|v| declined, and relatively infrequently before collision at very low l/|v|. However, the performance of this system is in line with expectations for a last-ditch escape response.

Edge and area effects on avian assemblages and insectivory in fragmented native forests

Disentangling the confounded effects of edge and area in fragmented landscapes is a recurrent challenge for landscape ecologists, requiring the use of appropriate study designs. Here, we examined the effects of forest fragment area and plot location at forest edges versus interiors on native and exotic bird assemblages on Banks Peninsula (South Island, New Zealand). We also experimentally measured with plasticine models how forest fragment area and edge versus interior location influenced the intensity of avian insectivory. Bird assemblages were sampled by conducting 15 min point-counts at paired edge and interior plots in 13 forest fragments of increasing size (0.5–141 ha). Avian insectivory was measured as the rate of insectivorous bird attacks on plasticine models mimicking larvae of a native polyphagous moth. We found significant effects of edge, but not of forest patch area, on species richness, abundance and composition of bird assemblages. Exotic birds were more abundant at forest edges, while neither edge nor area effects were noticeable for native bird richness and abundance. Model predation rates increased with forest fragmentation, both because of higher insectivory in smaller forest patches and at forest edges. Avian predation significantly increased with insectivorous bird richness and foraging bird abundance. We suggest that the coexistence of native and exotic birds in New Zealand mosaic landscapes enhances functional diversity and trait complementation within predatory bird assemblages. This coexistence results in increased avian insectivory in small forest fragments through additive edge and area effects.

A case of cellulitis of the hands caused by a predatory bird attack

Many species have been drastically affected by rapid urbanization. Harris's hawks from their natural habitat of open spaces and a supply of rodents, lizards and other small prey have been forced to change their natural environment adapting to living in open spaces in sub- and peri-urban areas. Specific areas include playgrounds, parks and school courtyards. The migration of this predatory species into these areas poses a risk to individuals, and especially the children are often attacked by claws, talons and beaks intentionally or as collateral damage while attacking rodent prey. In addition, the diverse micro-organisms harbored in the beaks and talons can result in wound infections, presenting a challenge to clinical management. Here we would like to present a case of an 80-year-old man with cellulitis of both hands after sustaining minor injuries from the talons of a Harris's hawk and review the management options. We would also like to draw attention to the matter that, even though previously a rarity, more cases of injuries caused by birds of prey may be seen in hospital settings.

Marginal Eyespots on Butterfly Wings Deflect Bird Attacks Under Low Light Intensities with UV Wavelengths

BackgroundPredators preferentially attack vital body parts to avoid prey escape. Consequently, prey adaptations that make predators attack less crucial body parts are expected to evolve. Marginal eyespots on butterfly wings have long been thought to have this deflective, but hitherto undemonstrated function.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we report that a butterfly, Lopinga achine, with broad-spectrum reflective white scales in its marginal eyespot pupils deceives a generalist avian predator, the blue tit, to attack the marginal eyespots, but only under particular conditions—in our experiments, low light intensities with a prominent UV component. Under high light intensity conditions with a similar UV component, and at low light intensities without UV, blue tits directed attacks towards the butterfly head.Conclusions/SignificanceIn nature, birds typically forage intensively at early dawn, when the light environment shifts to shorter wavelengths, and the contrast between the eyespot pupils and the background increases. Among butterflies, deflecting attacks is likely to be particularly important at dawn when low ambient temperatures make escape by flight impossible, and when insectivorous birds typically initiate another day's search for food. Our finding that the deflective function of eyespots is highly dependent on the ambient light environment helps explain why previous attempts have provided little support for the deflective role of marginal eyespots, and we hypothesize that the mechanism that we have discovered in our experiments in a laboratory setting may function also in nature when birds forage on resting butterflies under low light intensities.

‘It's the End of the World!’: The Paradox of Event and Body in Hitchcock's The Birds

This article examines the concept of ‘event’ and the manner in which it has been neglected in both ecocriticism and Hitchcock studies. Using The Birds (1963) to rethink the premises of ecocritics’ discussion of nature, animals, and disasters in cinema and Hitchcock scholars’ emphasis on representation and symbolism, the article argues that it has become imperative to philosophically foreground ‘events’ in light of the numerous contemporary films that revolve around them. Hitchcock’s film is shown to propose a renewed concept of event, a concept that significantly departs from the two most influential conceptualisations of the event in post-1960 continental philosophy: those of Gilles Deleuze and Alain Badiou. Eschewing philosophical theories that equate the event with pure becoming or conceptualisations that characterise events as rupture and break, the film reveals a particular form of bird-event that posits relationality to address becoming and rupture simultaneously. Indeed, what distinguishes Hitchcock’s concept of event, contra Deleuze’s and Badiou’s, is that it emphasises relationality instead of pure continuity or radical rupture in the characterisation of corporeal or embodied individuation. Emphasising relationality helps understand the film’s deployment of a concept of event that departs from the aforementioned theorisations that exclude the human body (and therefore affect) from the event’s experiential import. Closely aligning bodies prior to and after the bird-events, The Birds ultimately discloses the paradox of body and event at the heart of contemporary event theory by way of linking or relating bodies and events, thus tapping into debates over embodiment and affect in cultural and media theory. Centering around modalities of evental experience rather than the controversial and endlessly debatable signification of the bird attacks, the analysis purports that the bird-event configures materiality only to reveal its relational and interstitial volatility.