It’s every bird for itself on the South African island of Malgas. In what is believed to be reaction to dwindling fish stocks, Great White Pelicans have started eating gannet chicks alive. Although the pelicans are primarily focused on eating the easily accessible gannet chicks, they have also developed a taste for eating Cape Cormorants, Kelp Gulls, Swift Terns and even African penguin young.
The odd behavior, captured on video by a BBC film crew, shows adult pelicans swallowing unattended chicks whole and is the focus of a documentary "Pelicans gobbling gannets" airing on the BBC series Life November 9th, 2009.
According to the BBC News, “Because of the fish shortage, often both gannet parents leave their chicks to forage at sea, leaving their offspring particularly vulnerable.”
Even though both the Great White Pelicans and the Cape gannets are from the same bird family, a decline in fish stocks off the coast of South Africa has driven the pelicans to seek adaptive food sources. Some Cape gannet colonies in the area are now in danger of being wiped out.
Via BBC News
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