Dutch Birding volume 24 (2002) no 2

White-winged Tern at Den Oever in December 2000 killed bij Common Magpie

November-December 2000, up to three White-winged Terns Chlidonias leucopterus were wintering together with some Black Terns C niger at Den Oever, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands; the late stay of White-winged Terns (the last reported sighting was on 1 January 2001) is exceptional for the Netherlands. On 27 December 2000, one of the starving/weakened White-winged Terns was observed being killed by a Common Magpie Pica pica. The tern was collected and identified as a juvenile male moulting to first-winter plumage (now at Zoological Museum of Amsterdam, ZMA). Although Common Magpies are known to eat and/or kill many bird species, especially smaller passerines, predation of a White-winged Tern has probably not been documented before.

Harvey van Diek, Piet Heinstraat 21, 6512 GR Nijmegen, Nederland
harvey.vandieksovon.nl