Date: 7/2/25 3:59 pm From: Marcia Lincoln <boahiss...> Subject: Re: [AZNMbirds] Birds are Prey
I think birds play a regular part in the diet of Western Diamondbacks. In
my yard in Tucson, I have seen one eat a White-winged Dove, a Cactus Wren,
and one time one managed to squeeze into a pen that housed a bunch of
turkey poults and one was eaten. The snake was still in there and I
released it in another part of the yard. Little or no grasses would mean
fewer rodents, so they may be eating birds more regularly. It's been a
tough year for wildlife. We are finally getting rain here right now in NW
Tucson too, yay!
Marcia
On Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM Alexander Hamilton <ispidina.picta...>
wrote:
> This is kind of random, but it may be of interest in a big-picture
> kind of way. I apparently have a resident diamondback that has taken
> up feasting on birds.
>
> I am used to various species of hawks, roadrunners, the rare shrike,
> and even “preying” mantis keeping the local bird populations in check,
> but I was surprised to see a diamondback grab one the other day.
>
> Five days ago, I saw that a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, the
> first snake of the year for me, had gotten a House Finch. Okay, that’s
> sort of interesting. looks like it could be a juvenile so maybe not
> super predator aware.
>
> Then two days ago, it got a Blue Grosbeak. Okay, I’m a bit more
> surprised, maybe even a bit shocked.
>
> Then this morning it totally upped its game 5-fold, it nailed a
> White-winged Dove.
>
> There may not be any birds left around here by the end of next week! I
> mean, these are just incidents that I happened to catch.
>
> I’m in Madrean Grassland and there really aren’t any grasses anymore.
> This is the driest I have ever seen it, and it’s completely bare
> between all of the bushes and trees. With bird numbers dropping, herps
> and small mammals seem to be going in the same direction. There used
> to be resident Great Horned Owls that are now scarce and / or absent.
> In any case, while I know that diamondbacks eat birds, I can’t help
> but wonder how much this is a shift in diet versus opportunistic
> feeding.
>
> If anyone is interested, here are 3 checklists from the past 5 days
> that include photos of the diamondback.
>
> 27 Jun 2025: Diamondback with HOFI
> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/1VRBCypWZBtyKJrkLsZfOixf-MT?<domain...> > <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/1VRBCypWZBtyKJrkLsZfOixf-MT?<domain...> >
> 30 Jun 2025: Diamondback with BLGR
> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CRVyCzqg1DimEnM94hXhDi9E_H7?<domain...> > <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CRVyCzqg1DimEnM94hXhDi9E_H7?<domain...> >
> 2 Jul 2025: Diamondback with WWDO
> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/A2lNCA8EBzt1BVN2EF9iviGcHCV?<domain...> > <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/A2lNCA8EBzt1BVN2EF9iviGcHCV?<domain...> >
> It’s raining now – finally – so that’s good.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ron Batie
> Rio Rico, Arizona
>
