LITTLE GREY OWL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 23, 23 December 1932, Page 2

LITTLE GREY OWL.

DEPREDATIONS OF BIRDS. CHRJSTCH URCH, Dec. 22. After having had evidence submitted to it as to the depredations of the little Gorman grey owl tlio council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society decided to draw the attention of kindred societies and the Native Birds’ Protection Society to the matter and seek their co-operation in dealing with it. The chairman (Mr L. A. Shand) produced a packet of feathers which he stated had been taken from a. nest containing, throe young grey owls on the north branch stream, near Clarkville. The remains were those of ten birds, including the chaffinch, blackbird, waxeyo, starling, thrush, kingfisher, hedge-sparrow and skylark, which had been eaten from the heads downwards. There was also a mouse’s tail in the collection. Mr Shand stated that there used to he a number of fantaiis in the vicinity of the nest, but none of these birds was there now. He added that there was a colony of the grey owls near Waipara of which he was aware. It was also reported that a German owl had killed a full-grown chukor at the society’s grounds at Greenpark.