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Ruthless pursuit

Springwatch 09's little ringed plover chicks are down to three - one is missing. Pete the cameraman witnessed something extraordinary - an adult male chased and attacked a chick again and again. The chick runs for its life and eventually hides in some weed. The Springwatch team don't know if the chick survived. Later the same male is seen courting the chicks' mother. Chris Packham thinks that the original mate of the female has vanished, so this male is now courting her. The new male gets no benefit from raising the first clutch of chicks, so it's in his interest to kill them. It's another potential case of infanticide.

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3 minutes

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