Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Bijlsma R.G. & ten Seldam H. (2013) Impact of focal food bonanzas on breeding Ravens Corvus corax. ARDEA 101 (1): 55-59
Contrary to expectations, a manyfold increase in human-provided carcasses was paralleled by a near-total failure of breeding success in a small Raven Corvus corax population in the central Netherlands. Shot game and road casualties had been deposited at two to three point sources, where the bonanza was quickly monopolized by flocks of non-breeding Ravens. Breeding success improved substantially as soon as carcasses were dispersed throughout the terrain, enabling territorial pairs to profit from nutritious food without being outcompeted by non-breeding Ravens.


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