Snakes for lunch: bird predation on reptiles in a tropical floodplain

Based on collaboration between a wildlife photographer and a scientist, this paper provides novel information and images of predation by birds (Black-necked Storks, White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Whistling Kites) on reptiles (Macleay's Water Snakes, Keelback Snakes, Long-necked Turtles). The observations and photographs come from the wall of Fogg Dam, 60 km east of Darwin, the site of a long-term ecological research program on reptiles and amphibians. Professional ecologists rarely witness predation on their study animals, and this has been true at Fogg Dam despite >20 years' continuous research on reptiles at the site. The photographs provide the first specific records of predation upon reptiles by birds in this floodplain ecosystem.