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| American Bullfrog predation on birds | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 26 2012, 11:57 AM (5,153 Views) | |
| Wild | Jun 26 2012, 11:57 AM Post #1 |
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Apex Predator
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Side Commentary: Larger species of frogs such as African Bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus) and Horned frogs (frogs belonging to the genus Ceratophrys) are known to be voracious predators but I doubt any of them prey on birds at all due to their rotund, bulky, heavyset statures which hinders their quickness and lunging ability. American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) appear to have the size and physical ability to actively stalk and catch birds. persoanlly I think bullfrogs are among the most athletic frog species, being able to leap quite a few feet in a single bound. Thier hunting technique,when going after avian prey,seems to involve them lying in wait in water until a bird flies within striking distance. Then they leap out in an explosive burst using their strong legs and grabbing the bird in their jaws. It seems the cause of death for most of the bullfrog's bird victims is drowning. Here are a few instances of bullfrog predation on birds: (skip to 0: 30 mark for predation) Play by play pictures of a bullfrog stalking and eating a bird: Bull Frog Vs Sparrow ![]() Spectacular captures of the American Bullfrog preying on an unlucky sparrow. Growing up to a length of 20 centimeters or 7.9 inches, the bullfrog preys on any animal that it can overpower and stuff down its throat. Their stomachs have been found to contain rodents, small turtles, snakes, frogs including bullfrogs and birds of course. Ambush predators as they are known for, the bullfrog can be seen submerging large preys (in this case the sparrow) into the water to cut their air supply and defense. Check out the whole sequence of the bullfrog and the unlucky sparrow with 5 more pics after the jump........ ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() An excerpt from an article concerning the flight speeds of wood ducks that reports bullfrog predation on ducklings: Only about one-third of the ducklings ’ posterior end protruded from the frogs ’ mouth, the duckling already being well down the frogs ’ throat. Nevertheless, the duckling was pulled alive from the frogs ’ throat and soon became active. The ducklings ’ legs were not injured in the towing process. The method used to capture these ducklings was different than the method earlier described as being used by a bullfrog for capturing a bird. W. E. Howard (1950. Copeia, 1950:152) reported seeing the capture of a Brown Towhee (Pip& fuscus cam- lae), which was caught by one foot or leg and submerged before swallowing was started. The frog spent about an hour swallowing the bird. A. H. Wright (1920. “Frogs: their natural history and utilization,” 42) reported ducklings unusual in the bullfrogs ’ diet. W. L. McAtee (1921. Copeia, 1921:40) re- ported shooting of a bullfrog “swallowing a three-weeks old duckling” of an unnamed species. 0. H. Hewitt (1950. .I. Wildl. Mgmt., 14:244) reported finding two Black Ducks (Anas rubripes), two or three days old, in the stomach of a bullfrog. The promptness with which the duckling disappeared as the five free ducklings moved through the cattails, together with the quick capture of the two tethered birds, suggests that bullfrog predation on youn g Wood Ducks may be substantial in some situations. Capture of tethered birds, of course, is only partly indicative of what would happen in a natural situation. The observations reported in this note were made when I was conducting research on the Wood Duck under support of the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. Dr. E. H. Dustman guided the research project, and the 1J.S. Fish and Wildlife Service re- viewed and typed the ImnUSCript.-PAUL A. STEWART, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Entomology Research Division, Oxford, North Carolina, 30 April 1966. From: http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v079n02/p0238-p0239.pdf Edited by Wild, Sep 22 2012, 11:12 AM.
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| Wild | Jun 27 2012, 11:06 AM Post #2 |
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Apex Predator
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As seen not all birds are successfully swallowed so they are regurgitated |
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| Wild | Jun 28 2012, 12:37 PM Post #3 |
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Apex Predator
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Wow I've gotten so low I have to beg for replies.....so absolutely no one finds this the least bit interesting no one even just wants to give it a click upon reading the title really? |
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| cidermaster | Jun 29 2012, 07:50 AM Post #4 |
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Omnivore
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This is a very interesting topic,boy those are Super Frogs!!!!!!!! Great footage and info there! |
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| Wild | Jun 29 2012, 09:10 AM Post #5 |
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Apex Predator
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thank you cidermaster I really appreciate it |
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| Superpredator | Jun 29 2012, 03:00 PM Post #6 |
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I guess not. I found this interesting but had nothing to reply. |
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| Wild | Jul 2 2012, 01:47 PM Post #7 |
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oh I see I've been in that situation not really much to say but "wow" or "cool" |
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| Superpredator | Jul 2 2012, 01:48 PM Post #8 |
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Apex Predator
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Yeah, but anyway.....WOW!! |
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| Rashido | Jul 2 2012, 02:24 PM Post #9 |
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Omnivore
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Same here. This is a pretty good topic though, I never really thought of frogs as capable of such feats. |
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| Ceratodromeus | Nov 27 2015, 07:56 AM Post #10 |
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Aspiring herpetologist
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(Attempted)Predation on cliff swallows, documented in the 2009 Herpetological review![]() ![]() These frogs never cease to amaze me.. |
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| Ceratodromeus | Dec 1 2015, 10:35 AM Post #11 |
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Aspiring herpetologist
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Old but nonetheless interesting (From the '87 Herpetological review)
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| Ceratodromeus | Jan 25 2017, 04:53 AM Post #12 |
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Aspiring herpetologist
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FIELD OBSERVATIONS OF BULLFROG (RANA CATESBEINA) PREY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA "The bullfrog (Rana catesbeina) is British Columbia’s largest anuran and spends most of its life in the water where it breeds and hunts. It is well known that adult bullfrogs are voracious predators and will eat virtually anything that moves and can be stuffed into their mouths. Their diet in North America includes snakes, fishes, frogs, salamanders, small turtles, small mammals, young waterfowl, marsh birds, songbirds, crayfishes, and a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates. They are also cannibalistic, eating both their own tadpoles and other adults and juveniles (Bury and Whelan 1985; Conant and Collins 1991; Albright 1999). The seasonal and regional diet of the bullfrog in British Columbia is unknown. General prey groups mentioned for the province include young birds, mice, fishes, and smaller bullfrogs (Green and Campbell 1984). The purpose of this note is to document two field observations of prey species and list other animals known to be preyed upon by the bullfrog in British Columbia. While photographing the introduced slider (Trachemys scripta) at Jerry Sulina Park in Maple Ridge on 29 July 2004, a juvenile Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) landed on the water plants and began foraging (Figure 1). The rural park includes a small meandering stream with permanent, but shallow, backwater ponds that contain small patches of the white water-lily (Nuphar odorata), and floating logs and wooden platforms. The sandpiper was feeding on snails and large flying insects on the underside of curled waterlily leaves. The shorebird was watched feeding for about 15 minutes while it moved from the centre of the pond towards the shore where it was within range to photograph. While the Solitary Sandpiper was slowly stalking an insect an adult bullfrog suddenly grabbed the bird and disappeared underwater. I waited unsuccessfully for about 35 minutes hoping that something might appear on the nearby water surface. I rechecked the patch of water-lilies the following morning but found nothing but more adult and juvenile bullfrogs lurking beneath the cover of water-lily leaves. On 14 August 1996, Glenn Ryder noticed a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) flying low over the water surface at Little Sumas Lake (Goose Lake) near Abbotsford The bird, likely a female or juvenile, was buzzing back and forth when suddenly the lake’s surface broke into a splash and a large bullfrog, with split second timing and mouth wide open, grabbed the hummingbird from the air, plunged back into the water, and vanished. The bullfrog leapt at least 0.61 m out of the water to capture the bird. The Wildlife Data Centre databases, housed by the Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies in Victoria, include a wide variety of bullfrog prey previously unpublished from throughout the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, and southeastern Vancouver Island. These include: red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and green frog (Rana clamitans) adults, juveniles, and tadpoles, bullfrog tadpoles, common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) young Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) goslings, Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Mallard (Anas platyrhnchos), Gadwall (Anas sterpera), and Bluewinged Teal (Anas discors) ducklings, Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) chicks, American Coot (Fulica americana) chicks, Spotted Sandpiper (Actitus macularia) chicks, Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), flycatcher species, European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) fledgling, Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) juvenile, American Robin (Turdus migratorius) juvenile, Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) juvenile, Dark-eyed (“Oregon”) Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) newly fledged young, Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus), Townsend’s vole (Microtus townsendii), Pacific water shrew (Sorex bendirii), and domestic cat (Felis catus). " http://m.wildlifebc.org/pdfs/1_2_Campbell_Ryder.pdf |
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| Ophiophagy | Jan 25 2017, 10:17 PM Post #13 |
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Kleptoparasite
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my kookaburra caught and killed the biggest bullfrog i have ever seen. |
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| Ceratodromeus | Jan 26 2017, 02:04 AM Post #14 |
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Aspiring herpetologist
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That's cool, i guess . |
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| Ceratodromeus | Feb 22 2017, 09:39 AM Post #15 |
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Aspiring herpetologist
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Vancouver island Bullfrog with a song bird recovered from its stomach
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4:35 PM Jul 13