Re: Microraptor ate birds

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

On Fri, Nov 11th, 2011 at 2:09 PM, Dan Chure <danchure@easilink.com> wrote:

> What was the ontogenetic stage of the bird in the stomach?  Newly 
> fledged robins, etc.  can fly short distances but are not very effective 
> flyers for a few days.

Blackbirds in Australia (the unfortunately named Turdus merula) tend to leave 
their nests well 
before they can fly, and spend up to a week running about on the ground. The 
parent birds 
themselves also have a tendancy to nest quite low to the ground - usually well 
within reach of a 
human, and often within easy reach of a cat. I often wonder how they manage to 
survive to 
adulthood at all, yet these introduced birds are quite common in southeastern 
Australia.

http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Turdus-merula

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Dann Pigdon
Spatial Data Analyst               Australian Dinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia               http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dannj
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