Predation on Birds by a Cuckoo (Cuculidae), Mockingbird (Mimidae), and Saltator (Cardinalidae)

We report three unusual cases of predation in which birds of insectivorous or omnivorous species preyed upon smaller birds in El Salvador, Central America. A Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) fed on a netted Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea); a Blue-and-white Mockingbird (Melanotis hypoleucus) chased, killed, and carried off a probable juvenile Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis); and a Black-headed Saltator (Saltator atriceps) fed on a netted Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila). Preying upon birds has not been reported previously in any of these species. Evidence suggests that the Squirrel Cuckoo and the Blue-and-white Mockingbird may prey on small birds or other vertebrates with some regularity, while the saltator may have consumed the hummingbird due to non-natural conditions.