On Springwatch this year it mentioned Great Tits killing Pied Flycatchers and eating their brains. I haven’t looked at Great Tits in the same way since!
Not so sweet after all, huh! 😱 I read a Swedish book about bees and beekeeping some years ago and if I don't remember it wrong, they could lure out bees in the winter time here by "knocking" on the beehives. So one bee would go check/guard, get eaten and the next time it knocked a new one went. And basically emptying the entire beehive and/or causing great stress. But it gets super cold and snowy here up north, so maybe they're desperate.
Ah that’s so clever! Not on the bees part though, they should rethink their strategy. I will always regard great tits will a little more respect now I’ve learned so much about them.
I discovered recently (from one of The Wild Episode podcasts by Brian Ruckley) that the Greater Noctule bat takes birds migrating at night over central Europe. Also there’s an American bat that eats quite large birds. So it’s good to know that there’s at least one bird out for revenge!
As always a great read, full of facts. I have only very recently learned that where available they also like to feed on the caterpillars of Purple Emperor butterflies.
We are fortunate to have several regularly visit the feeding station and they nest in the garden most years.
Sounds like they’ll eat just about anything that’s alive. They have a particular fondness for brains, among the groups that do that sort of predation. Apparently it’s not all of them - so I like to think our garden visitors are less brutal!
Some rather shocking facts about this bird that is so common even people who aren't interested in birds know it, but I still love them.
I had no idea they were such homicidal maniacs!
Me neither 😂 I really hope I don’t make any equally grim discoveries when I get to long-tailed tits, they’re too cute
Not the long tailed tits, they're my favourite- those little neckless fluffballs look too pure for this world
On Springwatch this year it mentioned Great Tits killing Pied Flycatchers and eating their brains. I haven’t looked at Great Tits in the same way since!
Yeah turns out they’re basically zombies 😂 but they look so… normal!
MORE BRAAAINS!
Not so sweet after all, huh! 😱 I read a Swedish book about bees and beekeeping some years ago and if I don't remember it wrong, they could lure out bees in the winter time here by "knocking" on the beehives. So one bee would go check/guard, get eaten and the next time it knocked a new one went. And basically emptying the entire beehive and/or causing great stress. But it gets super cold and snowy here up north, so maybe they're desperate.
Ah that’s so clever! Not on the bees part though, they should rethink their strategy. I will always regard great tits will a little more respect now I’ve learned so much about them.
The Horror!
I will never look at them in quite the same way again
I discovered recently (from one of The Wild Episode podcasts by Brian Ruckley) that the Greater Noctule bat takes birds migrating at night over central Europe. Also there’s an American bat that eats quite large birds. So it’s good to know that there’s at least one bird out for revenge!
Everything ends up balancing out somehow I guess!
How thoroughly splendid. I have known these little birds, all my life, but … who knew
Good lord.
Genuinely laughed at this comment 😂 precisely how I felt!
As always a great read, full of facts. I have only very recently learned that where available they also like to feed on the caterpillars of Purple Emperor butterflies.
We are fortunate to have several regularly visit the feeding station and they nest in the garden most years.
Sounds like they’ll eat just about anything that’s alive. They have a particular fondness for brains, among the groups that do that sort of predation. Apparently it’s not all of them - so I like to think our garden visitors are less brutal!
wonder if you have solved my mysterious slug corpses! Occasionally I see one with missing brain / face...
Ooh intriguing - I wouldn’t be surprised. I know in some places crows target frogs’ livers, leaving the rest of the frog intact.
Fascinating! Have you read Len Howards books?
So shocked they are brain eaters! Who knew!?