Barn Swallow Nest Predation by a Recent
Urban Invader, the Taiwan Whistling Thrush
Urban areas have become a new habitat for an
increasing number of species. The interactions among these urban
dwellers may be critical to their survival but remain largely
unclear. The barn swallow (Hirundo
rustica) has constructed nests on human buildings over
centuries. In contrast, the Taiwan whistling thrush (Myophonus insularis) is one of new
urban-invading species. Here we report the first case of Taiwan
whistling thrushes’ predation on urban swallows. Taiwan whistling
thrushes were observed to eat all barn swallows’ chicks and eggs on one
street of Taipei, Taiwan within one week and thus dramatically reduced
their reproductive success. The newly evolving predation behavior
of Taiwan whistling thrushes could threaten the survival of barn
swallows locally. The results imply that urbanization could
intensify the interactions between old and new urban species, leading
to their population decline or growth and thus community dynamics of
urban wildlife.



Read the full article, published by Zoological
Studies, here
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