Short Communications
Vol. 95 No. 1 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2024.855
Eleonora’s Falcons (Falco eleonorae) hunting for roller dung beetles (Scarabaeus sp.)
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Received: 26 November 2024
Accepted: 1 December 2024
Published: 14 July 2025
Accepted: 1 December 2024
Published: 14 July 2025
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Coming from an occasional observation in Sardinia, this has been an unusual attempt to identify an insect taxon in images of falcon predatory actions in the air and has resulted in the first report of Scarabaeus sp. in the diet of Falco eleonorae. Provided that this is confirmed as a recurrent food choice, Eleonora’s Falcons and elsewhere declining dung beetles would share enough distribution and phenology to form a predator-prey relationship worthy of further investigation.
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How to Cite
Eleonora’s Falcons (Falco eleonorae) hunting for roller dung beetles (Scarabaeus sp.). (2025). Rivista Italiana Di Ornitologia, 95(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2024.855
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