The Fish That Hunts Pigeons | Planet Earth II | BBC Earth
Summary
TLDRPigeons, highly successful urban birds, thrive in cities due to their lack of fear of humans. In the south of France, they come to rivers to clean their feathers and cool down. However, a predator awaits— the introduced Wells catfish, which has adapted to hunting pigeons by sensing their movements in the water. Originally a bottom-dwelling fish, the catfish has developed a new hunting strategy, targeting pigeons as they bathe. As a result, pigeons are now learning to evade this unexpected aquatic predator.
Takeaways
- 🕊️ Pigeons have lost their fear of humans, allowing them to thrive in cities.
- 🌆 Pigeons are the most successful urban bird, found in large numbers globally.
- 🏞️ In southern France, pigeons come to rivers to bathe and clean their feathers.
- 🌡️ Bathing helps pigeons cool down and remove city dust from their plumage.
- ⚠️ However, while bathing, pigeons face a predator in the form of the Wells catfish.
- 🐟 The Wells catfish was introduced to the area 40 years ago and has since flourished.
- 🎣 The catfish have nearly wiped out local fish stocks and now target pigeons.
- 👁️🗨️ With poor eyesight, the catfish rely on their barbels to detect pigeons' movements.
- 🧠 This is a new hunting strategy for the normally bottom-dwelling Wells catfish.
- 📚 After living in cities for a thousand years, pigeons are now learning to avoid this new threat.
Q & A
What has enabled pigeons to spread into cities everywhere?
-Pigeons have spread into cities everywhere due to their loss of fear of humans, which has allowed them to thrive in urban environments.
Why do pigeons come to the river in the south of France?
-Pigeons come to the river to bathe, clean their flight feathers of city dust, and cool themselves down.
What predator poses a threat to pigeons while they bathe?
-The Wells catfish, which has been introduced to the river and developed a taste for pigeons, poses a threat while the pigeons bathe.
How were Wells catfish introduced, and what impact have they had?
-Wells catfish were introduced about 40 years ago, and they have proliferated, virtually exterminating local fish stocks.
How do Wells catfish detect pigeons while hunting?
-Wells catfish use their barbels to sense the movements of pigeons, as their eyesight is poor.
What new hunting strategy have Wells catfish developed?
-Wells catfish, normally bottom-dwelling fish, have developed a new strategy of hunting pigeons at the water's surface.
Why are pigeons vulnerable to Wells catfish while bathing?
-As pigeons bathe, oil from their plumage flows downstream, which alerts the Wells catfish to their presence.
What is unique about this hunting behavior of Wells catfish?
-It is considered a radical new hunting strategy, as Wells catfish typically stay at the bottom of rivers and are now preying on birds.
How long have pigeons been living in urban environments?
-Pigeons have been living in cities for about a thousand years.
What are pigeons now learning to avoid due to the threat from Wells catfish?
-Pigeons are learning to avoid being caught by Wells catfish when bathing in rivers.
Outlines
🕊️ Pigeons: The Most Successful Urban Bird
This paragraph introduces how pigeons have become incredibly successful in urban environments due to their lack of fear of humans. It highlights their behavior in the south of France, where they come to the river to bathe, cleaning their feathers from city dust and cooling down. However, this seemingly peaceful activity puts them at risk of predation.
🐟 A New Predator: The Wells Catfish
The paragraph shifts focus to a new predator, the Wells catfish, introduced to the area 40 years ago. This species has thrived, nearly wiping out local fish populations and developing a surprising new hunting strategy—preying on pigeons. The catfish detects pigeons by sensing the oils from their feathers in the water. The Wells catfish, typically a bottom-dweller, has adapted to a new hunting method, posing a threat to pigeons.
⚖️ Survival in a Changing Urban Landscape
After centuries of thriving in cities, pigeons now face a new challenge: avoiding this unexpected aquatic predator. Despite having coexisted with humans for a thousand years, urban pigeons must learn to evade the predatory Wells catfish, which has taken advantage of their vulnerability during bathing. The paragraph emphasizes the adaptability of both species in the face of changing urban ecosystems.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pigeons
💡Urban bird
💡Fear of humans
💡Bathing
💡Wells catfish
💡Predation
💡Barbles
💡Adaptation
💡River ecosystem
💡Hunting strategy
Highlights
Pigeons have adapted to urban environments, becoming the most successful city-dwelling bird.
In the south of France, pigeons visit rivers to bathe, cleaning off city dust and cooling down.
As pigeons bathe, oil from their plumage flows downstream, creating a trail detectable by predators.
The Wells catfish, introduced to the region 40 years ago, has flourished and now hunts pigeons.
Originally a bottom-dwelling fish, the Wells catfish developed a unique hunting strategy targeting pigeons.
The pigeons’ lack of fear of predators, which helped them thrive in cities, now makes them vulnerable to the catfish.
Wells catfish rely on poor eyesight but use their barbels to sense the movements of their prey.
The catfish were introduced as an invasive species, leading to the depletion of local fish stocks.
This new hunting behavior represents a radical adaptation in the Wells catfish's strategy.
Urban pigeons, after a thousand years of living in cities, now face a new predator from the water.
The spread of Wells catfish into urban rivers has altered the balance of ecosystems.
Pigeons have not yet adapted fully to avoiding this new predator, leaving them vulnerable during bathing.
The Wells catfish’s ability to detect prey by movement, not sight, highlights its evolved hunting skills.
The catfish's predation on pigeons showcases how invasive species can dramatically change urban wildlife dynamics.
The interaction between pigeons and Wells catfish demonstrates a fascinating shift in predator-prey relationships in urban environments.
Transcripts
losing its fear of humans has enabled
one animal to spread into cities
everywhere and in huge
numbers pigeons are by far the most
successful Urban
bird here in our in the south of France
the pigeons Come to the River to
bathe they need to PR their flight
feathers clean off the city
dust and cool themselves down
but death lies in
weight a predator that has taken
advantage of the very thing that has led
to the pigeon's
success their lack of
fear as the pigeons bathe oil from their
plumage flows Downstream and is detected
a monstrous Wells
catfish introduced here just 40 years
ago they have
proliferated virtually exterminated the
local fish
stocks and they've now developed a taste
for pigeon
their eyesight is poor so they use their
barbles to sense the movements of their
victims
this is a radical new hunting strategy
for what is normally a bottom dwelling
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[Applause]
fish after a thousand years of living in
this city pigeons are now having to
learn to avoid a fish sh
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