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Aussies asked to help identify 'hilariously' large fish being swallowed by bird
Anglers are being asked to help identify a large fish being carried by an incredibly bold waterbird. While footage of the "hilarious" encounter cuts off before the fish is swallowed, avian experts believe that after a lot of 'juggling and manoeuvring', it would have eventually been eaten.
The footage was taken in NSW as part of a study into how man-made platforms called Biohaven Islands on lakes help provide refuges for wildlife. The bird in the video has been identified as an Australasian darter, but identifying the fish has proved more difficult.
The project's supervisor, Western Sydney University's Professor Ricky Spencer, told Yahoo News Australia the footage was uploaded into ChatGPT and analysed frame by frame. But it could only narrow the species down to three potential candidates, a juvenile bony bream, a golden perch, or a juvenile carp, so he turned to social media for help.
His team is using real-time webcam monitoring to try and examine what species are in the area, and they've turned to AI for help because it can process hundreds of hours of footage in minutes.
'It makes a lot of mistakes. But we can tell it, no that's wrong, this is what the species actually is. Then it gives you a new response based on feedback and training,' Professor Spencer said.
Amazing discovery after islands created
When there aren't humans around, birds are able to exhibit their natural behaviours. PhD student Meg Shooter said they have captured some amazing vision, including an egret catching a lizard, and a pair of swans 'enjoying life' and settling on one of the islands, but the Australasian darter wrangling the fish is the most incredible moment so far.
The islands were originally created as part of the 1 Million Turtles project which aims to increase hatching rates of Australian turtles. Their purpose was to create a safe nesting habitat away from predators like invasive cats and foxes, but critics had scoffed at the idea, saying turtles would never use them.
'But within 12 hours there was a turtle nesting on the island. There's footage of her digging and laying her eggs,' Shooter told Yahoo News.
By identifying what species are living in each area, the Western Sydney University team will be able to protect them. They're particularly interested in monitoring for threatened species and migratory birds. But it's also important to search for invasive species, like carp which are highly damaging to river systems, so they can be eradicated.
'We can't see what fish are in the water, so we need to rely on birds bringing them onto the island,' Shooter said.
Why the bird likely managed to swallow the giant fish
When Professor Spencer first saw the video of the Australasian darter, he thought it was 'incredible'. 'It's pretty hilarious, seeing it try to down a fish that's certainly much bigger than its mouth,' he said.
He and Shooter had been left guessing as to whether it actually swallowed the fish.
While it might seem improbable, bird expert Sean Dooley explained to Yahoo News that Australasian darters, which are closely related to cormorants, are able to down massive meals.
In his work for Birdlife Australia, he's seen darters wolf down fish that seem impossibly big. But it can sometimes take them 20 minutes to get one into its gullet.
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They target their prey while swimming underwater, and then use their pointed bill as a spear. Because the fish is usually speared in its side, they have to spin it around.
'With small prey they can swallow them underwater but larger fish they have to process sitting on top of the water, and really large fish are usually taken out of the water and they feed on it in a tree or on the ground,' he told Yahoo.
'With most prey they swallow the fish head-first, which makes it easier to swallow and pesky protruding fins and spikes can be more easily managed. For large fish, this can mean a lot of juggling and manoeuvring it into position.'
If you're interested in helping identify wildlife or helping with the 1 Million Turtles project, click here for more information.
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