AUSTRALIAN 164 WATCHER AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1999, 18, 164-178 Notes on the Diet of Some in New South Wales II: to Starlings

by A.B. ROSE, Associate, The Australian Museum, 6- 8 College Street, N.S.W 2000 (present address: 61 Boundary Street, Forster, N.S.W 2428)

This paper concludes that by Rose (1999) on the diet of some in New South Wales. The methods are the same as previously, and records listed by Rose (1973, 1974) are not included here. Stomach contents, contents of pellets and observations are listed. Nomenclature of introduced plants follows Bircher (1960).

Grey torquatus Observations: 1. Gloucester (31 °58'S, 151 °59'E), 26 February 1956: while I was working in the garden, one bird sat close by and caught Green Vegetable Bugs Nezara viridula as they flushed into flight. 2. Wahroonga (33°43'S, 151 °08'E), 5 October 1970: one bird caught and ate a robber fly (Asilidae). 3. Bobbin Head (33°39'S, 151o09'E), 1 September 1974: one bird wedged a skink (Scincidae) in a crack on a bough and tore off pieces to swallow. 4. Wahroonga, 3 October 1974: one bird fed a caterpillar () and a (Coleoptera) to a nestling. 5. ingalba Nature Reserve (34°25'S, 14r25'E), 13 August 1978: one bird took dead House Mice Mus domesticus, caught in snap-traps in a barn on adjoining land. 6. Forster (32°11'S, 152°31'E), 6 May 1984: an adult bird was holding an earthworm (Lumbricidae ); an immature bird flew down and ate the worm. 7. Forster, 26 September 1984: one bird collected a piece of red meat from a bottlebrush Callistemon and re-stored it in a pine Pinus. On the 28th it investigated the larder; the meat was dried and firmly fastened round a twig, and had two ants on it. The bird abandoned the larder, as it did other stored surplus pieces of food provided by ~ople in the neighbourhood. 8. Gloucester, 13June 1985: one bird took a live skink from beside a road. 9. Forster, 12 April1988: one bird held a grasshopper (Orthoptera). 10. Forster, 2 September 1989: one bird took a huntsman spider (Sparassidae) from a veranda. 11. Forster, 18 October 1990: one bird took a Bogong Agrotis infusa. 12. Forster, 18 December 1991: one bird fed a Christmas beetleAnoplognathus to a fledgling.

Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis Stomach: Narrabri (30°20'S, 149°47'E), 20 January 1975: three Spur-throated LocustsAustacris guttulosa. Pellet: Gloucester, 5 March 1987 (S.M. Hooke): one bird regurgitated a pellet containing skink scales, one beetle, one cockroach (Blattodea), one grasshopper, and one ant (Formicidae). Observations: I. Gloucester, 28 August 1960: one bird caught a skink and hung it in a wattle Acacia. 2. Lake Cowal (33°40'S, 147°25'E), 14 March 1975: one bird ate a frog (Anura).

Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Stomachs: 1. Darrigo (30°21'S, 152°43'E), 18 April 1973 (1. Archibald): Wheat Triticum aestivum; one Oat seed Avena sativa; two grasshoppers; one flying ant; and one spider (Araneida) with an empty -sac. VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 165

Grey Butcherbird Plate 48 Photo: Mike Carter

2. Gloucester, 1 September 1973: one weevil (Curculionidae); one scarab (Scarabeidae); and one cockroach. 3. Bobbin Head, 3 April 1974 (W Kelly) : one bull-ant ; one beetle; and detritus. 4. Gloucester, 6 October 1974: one frog; one spider; one millipede (Diplopoda); one bug (Hemiptera); one grasshopper; several Black Heteronychus arator; and one other beetle. 5. Stroud Road (32o21'S, 151 o56'E), 25 December 1974: one mole-cricket Gryllotalpa; one ant; and several scarab beetles. 6. Darrigo, 1974, no other data: beetle and slug (Limacidae) remains. 7. Dorrigo, 1974, no other data: bread; beetles including Black Beetles; one grasshopper; one moth (Lepidoptera); one spider; and green fruit with small seeds. 8. Craven (32°09'S, 151°56'E), 5 January 1975 (J.A. Rose): mole-crickets; one grasshopper; one beetle; ants; one spider; one snail (Helicidae); one frog; Barley Hordeum vulgare; some other seeds; and vegetable matter. 9. North-west of Lithgow (33o22'S, 150oOO'E), 17 March 1975: one Black Bull-Ant Myrmecia tarsata; one grasshopper; one bug; one weevil; and one scarab. 10. Darrigo, 24 May 1975, very fat: stomach full of mainly ants Pheidole and larvae; one other ant; two beetles; two grasshoppers; one caterpillar; two spiders; and two clover leaves Trifolium. 11. Darrigo, 29 May 1975, very fat: many weevils; scarab beetles; grasshoppers including Eumastacidae and Acrididae; one moth; one caterpillar; and one spider. 12. Raymond Terrace (32°46'S, 151 o45'E), 29 August 1975: one moth; ants including Pheidole; beetles including one ground-beetle (Carabidae ); one cockroach; clover leaves; and some seeds. 13. Gloucester, 16 November 1975: one millipede; scarabs; and bugs. 14. Darrigo, 12 December 1975: beetles. 15. Griffith (34°15'S, 146°02'E), 21 October 1976 (K. McNee): Black Beetles; ants; bugs; one mole-cricket; and one spider. Pellets: 1. Gloucester, 5 March 1987: beetle, grasshopper, and ants. 2. Forster, 20 August 1990: four curl-grubs (Coleoptera), other larval skins, and one beetle. AUSTRALIAN 166 ROSE BIRD WATCHER

Juvenile Plate 49 Photo: Mike Carter

Observations: 1. Bobbin Head, 14 September 1967: one bird stood on the ground to eat caterpillars of a moth Lactura caminea off the lower leaves of a native fig Ficus. 2. Bobbin Head, 5 July 1971: one bird held a Saunders' Case Moth Oiketicus elongatus larval case. 3. Bobbin Head, 14 September 1972: one bird ate earthworms off a lawn. Worms had come to the surface after heavy rain. 4. Bobbin Head, 11 November 1972: one bird ate an earthworm. 5. Bobbin Head, 24 April 1974: one American Cockroach Periplaneta americana eaten entirely, in spite of the smell. 6. Young (34°18'S, 148o18'E), 8 August 1978: one bird stood on and pecked at a road-killed Hare Lepus capensis. 7. Wahgunyah State Forest (35°53'S, 145°58'E), 13 August 1979: one bird held a freshly killed, still warm, Rhipidura leucophrys (with peck marks on the head) on a dusty track where no vehicles had been. 8. Forster, 21 December 1984: one bird ate Strawberries Fragaria and a grasshopper. 9. Forster, August 1988: one bird caught a grasshopper, a beetle, then a furry caterpillar Spilosoma curvata, manipulating it and rubbing it on the ground before swallowing it. 10. Forster, 29 September to 28 October 1988: a pair of birds ate Bogong on a veranda and took them to feed nestlings. 11. Forster, 1 October 1988: one bird caught a Grass Skink Lampropholis guichenoti, killed it and carried it while continuing to forage, three times putting 1t down to pick up something small. 12. Forster, 9 October 1988: one bird fed its young with a Striped Skink Ctenotus robustus and a caterpillar vinaria. 13. Forster, 30 October 1988: during a large emergence of winged termites (Isoptera) one bird fora~ed on a house roof, picking up termites that had shed their wings and occasionally pickmg up a wing and eating it. 14. Forster, 23 December 1988: a juvenile bird ate three caterpillars (Noctuidae) on the ground. 15. Forster, 31 December 1988; also 7 September 1989: one bird left a skink in a bird bath. 16. Forster, 24 August 1989: one bird jumped to take a caterpillar Oenochroma vinaria off a . VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 167

17. Forster, September 1989 (D. Turner): one bird ate a Black-bellied Swamp Snake Hemiaspis signata. 18. Sydney Botanic Gardens (33°52'S, 151°12'E), 13 January 1994: one bird ate a large slug; it ate the head by wedging the slug into a curled garden-seat foot, and took the remainder away. 19. Forster, 14 November 1994: one bird ate a nestling Spotted Turtle-Dove Streptopelia chinensis in advanced pin-feathers, wedging it in a fork of a tea tree Leptospermum. 20. Forster, 29 January 1996: two birds searched on a sand-dune, being mobbed by Little Terns Sterna albifrons; they took no notice and were within 1 m of a just-hatched Little Tern runner, so I ran up to chase them off. They were back again later.

Pied Strepera graculina Stomachs: 1. Bobbin Head, 26 SejJtember 1967: Blueberry Ash Elaeocarpus reticu/atus fruits; and one caterpillar (Geometndae). 2. Bobbin Head, 25 September 1968: Blueberry Ash fruits; ant remains; and one caterpillar. 3. Bobbin Head, 6 December 1971 : Christmas beetlesAnoplognathus viriditarsus. 4. Bobbin Head, November 1972: Blueberry Ash fruits; one caterpillar; and one ichneumon wasp (Ichneumonidae). 5. Darrigo, 19 June 1973: purple fruit stain (Inkweed Phytolacca octandra fruit?). 6. Bobbin Head, 23 November 1973: one 180 mm stick- (Phasmatidae); three beetles; and several ants. 7. Bobbin Head, 24 January 1974: beetles including weevil; one bug; one ant; one caterpillar; and snail shell. 8. Bathurst (330Z7'S, 149°35'E), 17 March 1975: Wheat; beetles including weevils; ants; and moths. 9. Bobbin Head, 15 August 1975: fatty meat. 10. Bobbin Head, 28 August 1975: Blueberry Ash fruits; Ligustrum fruits; Apple Malus; one beetle; and one grasshopper. 11. Bobbin Head, 10 October 1975, seven specimens (A. Norman): a) one whole 70 mm centipede Ethmostigma rubripes; and a few fig seeds. ~ b) feather down and small bones; beetles including Black Beetles; and ants. c) ants including five Red Bull-Ants Myrmecia gulosa; one lacewing (Neuroptera); and Black Beetles. (d) ants including one Red Bull-Ant; one other bull-ant M. nigrocincta; one mole-cricket; beetles including weevil; one moth; and one caterpillar Oiketicus with its case. ) moths; one manne slater Ligia australiensis; larvae (Pergidae). f) moths; bugs; and one spider. ~g) two bull-ants M. gulosa and M. nigrocincta; one wasp (Hymenoptera). 12. obbin Head, 14 October 1975, 14 specimens (A. Norman): a) one millijJede; one weevil; one moth; one caterpillar; and ants. b) at least nme Black Beetles; one fly larva (Diptera); and one spider. c) Black Beetles; one scarab; two weevils; and one Black Bull-Ant. d) Blueberry Ash fruits; and beetles. e) Apple; weevils; ants; and one snail. f) white eggshell; snail shell; one weevil; and ants. g) Blueberry Ash fruits; other seeds; and one weevil. h) five Black Bull-Ants; one Red Bull-Ant; other ants; scarab beetles; one weevil; one leaf­ beetle (Chrysomelidae ); one moth; brittle pieces of shell. (!) unidentified fruit. U) two Black Bull-Ants; one other bull-ant; one weevil; one ground-beetle; one moth, and one caterpillar (Psychidae) and case. (k) salami; at least four Black Bull-Ants; two Red Bull-Ants; one weevil; and one mantid ootheca. ) three Black Beetles; one millipede; and two ants. m) Blueberry Ash fruits; weevils; ants including bull-ants; caterpillars (Psychidae) with cases. ~n) bread; one Red Bull-Ant; one other ant; and three Black Beetles. 13. obbin Head, 4 October 1976: (W. Kelly): bugs (Heteroptera); one beetle; and one beetle larva (Eiateridae ). Pellets: The contents of approximately 150 pellets were pooled by month for each location. regurgitate pellets full of seeds, which will germinate (as determined by trials). I examined many AUSTRALIAN 168 ROSE BIRD WATCHER intestines but did not find any hard material except the minutest pieces, therefore all seeds and skins must have been regurgitated. Most pellets were from a cluster of three Sydney suburbs. 1. Bobbin Head, February 1973: Port Jackson Fig and Pepper Tree Schinus molle fruits. Three pellets contained peppercorns and but no figs. One pellet contained Geebung fruit only. 2. Bobbin Head, March 1973: figs and insects mainly; two of eight pellets contained bull-ants. Some contained Cheese Tree seeds and one a cicada (Cicadidae). Three pellets contained marine slaters. In one that contained only insects there were at least seven bull-ants. Fiifteen pellets included other ant . Seven of 33 pellets contained bull-ants. Brush Cherries Eugenia were ripe and many were on the ground, but none was found in pellets. 3. Bobbin Head, April1973: having finished the bulk of the figs, the birds' pellets now contained the fruit of Brush Cherries. 4. Bobbin Head, May 1975: Brush Cherries. 5. Bobbin Head, June 1975: one pellet contained Kaffir Plum Harpephyllum caffrum. 6. Bobbin Head, August 1975: mainly Black Beetles and ants; one pellet contained Blueberry Ash fruits. 7. Bobbin Head, 21 November 1975: one pellet contained one bull-ant, one cicada, one cockroach, beetles including Black Beetle, and one Diamond Weevil Chrysolophus spectabilis. 8. Wahroonga, April 1973: no figs, but Lantana Lantana camara, Inkweed, privet Ligustrum, Fire thorn and Camphor Laurel Cinnamomum camphora fruits, plus insects. 9. Wahroonga, June 1973: similar to April, plus Styphelia Styphelia tubiflora flowers (which taste sweet), and fewer insects (only four of 20 pellets contained insects). 10. Wahroonga, July 1973: similar to June, but more privet taken, and only three of 28 pellets contained insects. 11. Wahroonga, October 1973: two pellets contained insects, and one contained Geebung fruits. 12. Wahroonga, January 1974: mistletoe (Loranthaceae) fruits, and insects. 13. Wahroonga, March 1974: Camphor Laurel fruits, and two bull-ants Myrmecia tarsata and M. gulosa. 14. Wahroonga, April 1974: Firethorn fruits. 15. Wahroonga, May 1974: mainly insects. 16. Wahroonga, July 1974: mainly privet fruits. 17. Wahroonga, September 1974: Black Beetles. 18. Wahroonga, October 1974: one pellet contained marine molluscs (one whole Bembecium and part of an oyster shell Crassostrea) with two cup-moth larvae (Limacodidae), moth scales, three spider egg-sacs, beetles, and ants including Red Bull-Ants. Three of six pellets contained bull-ants, and two contained cup-moth larvae. 19. Wahroonga, November 1974: Geebung fruits, insects and spiders. 20. Mt Colah (33°40'S, 151°07'E), 28 November 1975: moths, one cicada, and a large mantid ootheca. 21. Mt Colah, 8 January 1977: Flax Lily Dianella fruits, and one weevil. 22. Mt Colah, 18 August 1977: Blueberry Ash fruits, and two wasps (Thynnidae). 23. Mt Colah, 1 November 1977: mulberries Morus. 24. Mt Colah, 24 November 1978: Geebung fruits, and beetles. 25. Mt Colah, 18 August 1984: White Cedar Melia azederach fruits. (White Cedar berries are available from the time the trees shed their leaves, but are not eaten until late winter so they may be unacceptable until then). 26. Dorrigo, December 1975: one Rellet contained Blueberry Ash fruits. 27. Pearl Beach (32o32'S, 151 °17 E), 4 May 1976: ants, mainly bull-ants Myrmecia tarsata and M. gulosa. 28. Com boyne Plateau (31 °37'S, 152°23'E), November 1976: figs, grasshoppers (Tettigoniidae ), and ants. 29. Barrington Tops (31°58'S, 151o28'E), December 1976: insects including bull-ants. One pellet contained feathers, bone, beetles, and ants. 30. Forster, 21 June 1999: five pellets contained Asparagus Asparagus sprengeri fruits. Observations: 1. Bobbin Head, 10 December 1970: a pair of birds hunted marine slaters. The slaters were too fast for the birds; typically, a bird missed then rushed to intercept the slaters before they disappeared in a crack in the estuary wall where they lived. 2. Bobbm Head, 2 November 1973: after a storm the marine slaters were sluggish so a pair of birds worked towards each other and some slaters were caught in herbage, although many were missed. However, the birds ate 5-6 slaters each in three minutes. 3. Bobbin Head, 15 August 1975: one bird ate Blueberry Ash berries. VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 169

Pied Currawong Plate 50 Photo: Mike Carter

4. Bobbin Head, 14 September 1975: one bird ate earthworms after heavy rain. 5. Bobbin Head, 18 January 1981: two fledglings were fed figs, and regurgitated the skins and seeds of Grapes Vitis vinifera. 6. Bobbin Head, 12 October 1981: one bird ate pieces of Orange Citrus sinensis (without the skin). 7. Wahroonga, 4 June 1971: one bird ate a snail Helix aspersa. 8. Wahroonga, 24 June 1971: one bird ate fruit of Firethorn. 9. Wahroonga, 5 July 1971: one bird ate fruit of Fuchsia Fuchsia boliviana from pruned branches left lying on the ground. 10. Wahroonga, October 1971: one bird ate Mandarins Citrus reticula/a by holding them underfoot and pulling off pieces. 11. Wahroonga, 28 May 1972: one bird ate Inkweed fruit. 12. Wahroonga, 27 August 1972: three birds were in a Scribbly Gum haemastoma eating cup-moth larvae off the trunk and branches. One bird ate three in one minute, after manipulating them in the bill. It dropped a larger yellow-tufted caterpillar. 13. Wahroonga, 5 August 1973: one bird ate part of a fungus. 14. Wahroonga, 14 June 1975: one bird ate snails, the large ones broken open, the smaller swallowed whole. 15. Wahroonga, 4 October 1976: one bird brought a nestling Common MynaAcridotheres tristis to a fork m a dead branch, where it pulled the skink to pieces to take up to its nest. There were the remains of a small Common Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides below. On 11 October there were a Weasel Skink Saproscincus mustelinus, a Banana Musa nana skin and a blue flower in the fork, and more blue flowers below. On the 20th, the Banana skin and other stores had gone and there was only a chop bone below. 16. Wahroonga, Ausust 1980: one bird killed a Rainbow Lorikeet Tricho!Jlossus haematodus that was caught m a wire-netting fence. It then wedged the prey tightly m a fork and pulled off the legs then parts of the body. 17. Wahroonga, 9 January 1982: one bird pulled out a piece of meat stored in a eucalypt; on being disturbed it quickly placed the meat in another fork and flew off. 18. Wahroonga, 14 March 1983: one bird ate a large Privet Hawk-Moth caterpillar Psilogramma menephron off a Lilac Syringa philadelphus. AUSTRALIAN 170 ROSE BIRD WATCHER

19. Darrigo, 10 December 1975: one bird ate Blueberry Ash berries; a pellet contained these fruits. 20. Marra Marra National Park (33°32'S, 151°05'E), 25 June 1981: birds ate Oranges in an old orchard, leaving the skins. Their pellets contained rem~ins of Ora~ge only. . 21. Mt Colah, 2 March 1982: one bird perched on an outside hg.ht while removmg moths and insects at first light, and picked them off the walls below m fhght. 22. Kyogle (28°35'S, 152o55'E), 5 August 1986: two birds ate ripe Papaw Papaya carica. 23. Kyogle 30 July 1989: one bird ate Avocados Persea americana on the tree. 24. Forste;, 6 June (als0'20 June, and 5 and 8 July) 1986: six birds licked nectar from Grevillea 'Sandra Gordon' flowers. 25. Forster 9 July 1986: one bird fed on Inkweed; three pellets contained fruits of this species. 26. Forster: 10 July 1989 and 19 December 1990: one bird ate Blueberries Vaccinium corymbosum. 27. Forster, 27 January 1991: one bird ate Barbados Cherries Malpighia glabra. 28. Forster, 27 March 1991: one bird ate Native Grapes Cissus antarctica. 29. Forster, 7 April1991: one bird ate Brush Cherries. 30. Forster, 11 April1998: one bird licked nectarfrom Coast BanksiaBanksia integrifolia flowers, lifting its head to swallow. 31. Forster, 21 June 1999: two birds fed on Asparagus fruits.

Paradise Riflebird Ptiloris paradiseus Faeces: Darrigo, 1 October 1976: a female bird caught low in a mist-net left a faecal sample containing spider, beetle and cockroach remains.

Australian Raven Corvus coronoides Stomachs: 1. Doyalson (33°12'S, 151 °31'E), 4 October 1971 : one centipede Ethmostigma rubripes. 2. Bulahdelah (32°25'5, 152°12'E), 20 November 1974 (I. Archibald): one frog (Leptodactylidae ). 3. Stroud (32°25'5, 151 °58'E), 29 July 1975: one frog; one small bird; and one Christmas beetle Anoplognathus viriditarsus. 4. Lane Cove River Park (33°47'S, 151°10'E), 28 August 1975 (W. Preece): insect remains. 5. Bobbin Head, 10 October 1975 (A Norman): one scarab beetle; picnic refuse. 6. Bobbin Head, 10 October 1975 (A Norman): Black Beetles; one weevil; and one Saunders' Case-Moth larva and case. 7. Bobbin Head, 1 March 1976: two Black Beetles; Apple. 8. Bobbin Head, 29 July 1976: Corn (Maize) Zea mays; Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum; one Oat seed; marine algae; and limpets (Patellidae). Obsetvation: Bobbin Head, 7 November 1973: one bird ate marine slaters in company with two Pied Currawongs.

Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus Pellets: 1. Forster, 24 September 1993: two pellets contained seeds of Coastal Beard-heath Leucopogon parvijlorus. 2. Forster, 27 October 1993: Coastal Beard-heath and Acacia seeds; this pellet was within 80 em of a robbed Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles nest. Obsetvations: 1. Forster, 13 February 1985: four birds fed on a dead Yellow-fin BreamAcanthopagrus australis on the beach. (These birds are often observed scavenging around the high-tide mark on all the local beaches). 2. Forster, 20 February 1988: two birds fed on a dead Bream. 3. Forster, December 1992: one bird fed on Coastal Beard-heath fruit, close to a Little Tern nesting colony. 4. Forster, 15 May 1996: two birds fed on two dead Blind Sharks Brachaelurus waddi; one bird VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 171

fed on rotting Cunjevoi Pyura stolonifera, eating out the middle; one bird fed on a beach­ cast, softened Prickly Pear plant . 5. Forster, 15 December 1996: two birds perched on a Coastal Beard-heath shrub, eating the fruit.

Little Raven Corvus mellori Stomach: Willandra National Park (33°13'S, 145°05'E), 18 March 1976: grasshoppers (Acrididae ), including one semi-desert species; and skink scales.

Torres ian Crow Corvus orru Stomachs: 1. Gloucester, 2 June 1974: Maize; one bug. 2. Gloucester, 7 June 1981: grasshoppers; one beetle; one moth cocoon; one spider; Oats and two other seeds. Observations: 1. Gloucester, January 1954: bird(s) fed on Maize. 2. Forster, 21 August 1984: one bird took a nestling Manorina melanocephala. The Miners rebuilt in the same tree and a Crow again raided the nest. 3. Forster, 2 November 1985: fledglings were fed on bread. 4. Tuncurry (32°10'S, 152°30'E), 23 May 1986: 12 birds fed on the fruit of Scented Fanflower Scaevola ca/endulacea on sand-dunes. 5. Booti Booti National Park (32°18'S, 152°31'E), 17 April 1988: one bird picked up a road­ killed Brown Quail Cotumix ypsilophora. (Crows are always scavenging along this road and removing any road-kills small enough, at dawn and during the day). 6. Pelican Island, Wallis Lake (32°15'S, 152°30'E), 6 September 1988: two birds ate a chick from an unhatched egg of an Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus.

White-winged Chough Corcorax melilnorhamphos Stomachs: 1. Wards River (32°13'S, 151 °56'E), 21 May 1976: beetles; two Wheat kernels and other unidentified seeds. 2. East of Young, 30 July 1976 (R. Moffatt): Wheat and insects. 3. West of Narrandera (34°45'S, 146°31'E), 9 October 1976 (R. Moffatt): mainly beetles; also seeds, some remains, and tiny pieces of blue plastic.

Green Catbird crassirostris Stomach: Royal National Park (34°15'S, 151°05'E), 1974, no other data: one whole olive-sized fruit in the gullet and another in the stomach, and one whole seed from the same fruit in the intestine.

Regent chrysocephalus Stomach: Darrigo, April1972 (N. Fenton): fig seeds; spiders; and ants.

Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violilceus Stomachs: l. Royal National Park, 1970, no other data: 19 sawfly larvae Philomastix; four pairs of hymenopteran wings; ants; fig seeds; and one unidentified seed. 2. Thornle1gh (33°44'S, 151 °05'E), 2 August 1975 (1. Howie): two Cotoneaster berries and one beetle in the mouth; Small-leaved Privet Ligustmm sinense fruits in the stomach and unbroken seeds of the same in the intestine. AUSTRALIAN 172 ROSE BIRD WATCHER

Satin Bowerbird in green Plate 51 Photo: Neville Male

3. Fitzroy Falls (34°39'S, 150°30'E), 9 November 1977 (H. Malone): Strawberry leaf and fruit; seeds of another fruit; three species of beetle; and one hymenopteran. Observations: 1. Bobbin Head, 8 January 1971: one bird ate Inkweed fruits; one bird ate Geebung fruits. 2. Gloucester, 11 October 1978: a male ate Strawberries. 12 May 1979: six birds ate Cape Gooseberries Physalis peruviana. 21 June 1979: bird(s) ate all the berries of Holly Ilex cornuta. 12 August 1979: one bird ate Holly berries, later than usual. 6 and 24 October 1980: a green bird ate Strawberries. 3. Wahroonga, 1982 (M. Lovell): one bird ate flowers of Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica. 4. Forster, 5- 6 July 1986: a green bird fed on nectar from Grevillea 'Sandra Gordon'. 24 August 1989: a green bird ate Chickweed Stellaria media leaves on the ground. 4 and 7 July 1995 and 2 May 1999: a green bird fed on nectar from Coast . May 1999: birds took seed from a bowl of mixed seed for wild birds, and ate bread, Apple peel and occasionally Banana skin; bird(s) ate leaves of Chickweed, and fed on nectar from four species of Banksia and two species of Grevillea; a male dismembered and swallowed a 25 em stick-insectAcrophylla titan; one bird ate stamens from a Banksia flower; one bird fed on nectar from Camellia flowers; one bird ate a Barbados Cherry. June 1999: pellets consisting of Blueberry Ash seeds were found at a bower, and frequently in the garden and in a water bowl used by the ; two birds ate Tomato leaves; two birds took nectar from Camellia flowers; Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis fruits were left at the water bowl; one bird ate grass tips (frequently observed); one bird ate Ardisia Ardisia crispa berries; one bird caught a caterpillar (Geometridae); many Cotoneaster seeds were in a dropping, and many were left in the water bowl; two birds ate leaves of clover; 2-3 birds ate leaves of Potato Solanum tuberosum; bird(s) left two berries of White Cedar, and pellets containing seeds of Asparagus, at the water bowl. VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 173

July 1999: birds ate Potato leaves; dehusked and ate Sunflower Helianthus annuus seeds, and took Wheat and Sorghum Sorghum vulgare seeds from the birdseeq bowl; ate Chickweed leaves; ate the centre leaves of Prairie Grass Ceratochloa unioloides; ate Mandarin and Orange, leaving the skin; ate bread; also Cape Gooseberry seeds, Coffee Coffea arabica beans and unidentified seeds were in droppings or left at the water bowl. The Bowerbirds spent much time foraging on the ground and eating leafy material; their droppings were sometimes green and fibrous with herbage, and sometimes brown with seeds and husks.

Richard's Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Stomachs: 1. Gunnedah (30°59'S, 150°15'E), 2 September 1967: insects including three caterpillars, 10, 20 and 30 mm long. 2. Bobbin Head, 3 August 1970 (W. Lang): one spider; beetles; and kernels of seeds. The intestine contained beetle remains. 3. West of Hillston (33°30'S, 145°25'E), 20 March 1976 (J. Brickhill): one small grasshopper.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus Stomachs: 1. Gloucester, 20 March 1966: Wheat. 2. Asquith (33°42'S, 151°06'E), 26 September 1967: Wheat. 3. Bobbin Head, 4 February 1968, immature: seed and insect remains. Observations: 1. Wahroonga, 14 October 1972: two females intently hunted on various garden plants for insects; one bird found one on a leaf while the other picked an insect off a picket fence. 2. Newcastle (32°55'S, 151 °45'E), 3 February 1987: a flock fed on native figs; an adult fed a fig to a fledgling. 3. Forster, 13 November 1990: birds fed on Coast Wattle Acacia sophorae seeds. 4. Forster, 23 September 1994: a male and female fed on nectar from bottlebrush flowers.

Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata Stomach: Griffith, 4 April1977 (J. Brickhill): small white seeds.

Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii Stomachs: 1. Gloucester, 16 September 1967: small white seeds; and some green vegetable matter. 2. Gloucester, 6 October 1969: grass seeds (Poaceae, some green, some ripe); and some round, black unidentified seeds.

Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Stomachs: 1. Bobbin Head, 21 October 1971: mainly flies; some beetle and lepidopteran remains. 2. Bobbin Head, 21 January 1972: mainly flying ants; one hymenopteran; and five species of beetle. 3. Bobbin Head, 27 January 1972: stomach full of flying ants. 4. Bobbin Head, 16 October 1973 (fledgling): one spider; three species of beetle; other insect remains; a fragment of wood; and grass. 5. Urunga (30°30'S, 153°01 'E), 22 September 1974 (1. Archibald), two birds killed together: (a) one wasp (Braconidae), flying ants, one fly, and two small beetles; (b) the same flying ants, two different beetles, and lepidopteran scales. 6. Bobbin Head, 21 October 1974 (nestling): lepidopterans; hymenopterans; one longicorn beetle (Cerambycidae) ; and a piece of mollusc shell. AUSTRALIAN 174 ROSE BIRD WATCHER

7. Morton National Park (34°38'S, 150°27'E), 1974 (R. Moffatt): three different species of fly (one Dolichopodidae ); ants; one assassin bug (Reduviidae); three species of beetle including several weevils; and lepidopteran scales. 8. Bobbin Head, 14 October 1975: stomach full of flies; also a piece of mollusc shell. 9. Bobbin Head, 20 October 1975 (nestling): a few insect remains with a ball of down and hairs (nest-lining?).

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus Stomach: Wahroonga, 1 January 1984: two small cicadas; and two different seeds. Observations: 1. Wahroonga, 19 February 1973: a pair of birds ate Port Jackson Figs. 2. Wahroonga, 11 November 1980: a pair of birds fed on Coral Tree Erythrina indica flowers.

Brown Songlark Cincloramphus crura/is Stomach: Rankin Springs (33°53'S, 146°14'E), 3 January 1974 (J. Brickhill): locusts (Acrididae).

Silvereye Zosterops latera/is Stomachs: 1. Dorrigo, 7 April1972 (N. Fenton): grasshoppers; and unidentified fruits with seeds. 2. Wahroonga, 22 August 1972, two birds: (a) (very fat), lacewings (Neuroptera); (b) seed- skins and insect remains. 3. Turramurra (33°43'S, 151°07'E), 20 August 1973 (J. Hill): tiny nymphs (Homoptera). 4. Dorrigo, 1974, no other data: (our small grasshoppers (Acrididae); and one spider. 5. Gloucester, 26 December 1976: Plum Prunus domestica skins. 6. Bobbin Head, 11 June 1982: scale insects (Coccoidea); aphis (Aphidoidea); lacewings; minute weevils; hymenopterans; and lepidopterans. 7. Royal National Park, no other data: one caterpillar; and one leafhopper (Homoptera). Observations: 1. Gloucester, 9 October 1973: birds ate Holly berries. 2. Smiths Lake (32~22'S, 152°55'E), 13 December 1977: a flock fed on Wild Tobacco Solanum mauntwnum fruit. 3. Gloucester, January 1979: birds ate all the Grapes on the vine. 4. Gloucester, 19 April1979: birds fed on Cape Gooseberries. 5. Swansea (33°05'S, 151°38'E), 27 July 1986: many birds foraged in a flowering Coral Tree. 6. Forster, 16 September 1986: a flock fed in Lantana. 7. Forster, 23 September 1994: a flock fed on bottlebrush flowers.

Bassian Thrush Zoothera lunulata Stomachs: 1. Morton National Park, 16 August 1977 (H. Malone): caterpillars; beetles; and fly larvae. 2. Bobbin Head, 20 January 1980 (A. Upitis): one beetle; one caterpillar; and detntus. 3. Arcadia (33°37'S, 151 °04'E), September 1980 (S. Swift): beetle remains. 4. Giro, Gloucester (31 o43'S, 151 °48'E), 12 July 1986 (L. Carmichael): one beetle; one millipede; and detritus.

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Stomachs: 1. Turramurra, 7 November 1973 (C. Wilson): ants; beetle remains; and a few seeds. VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 175

Silvereye Plate 52 Photo: Neville Male

2. Dorrigo, 25 December 1975 (R. Holmes): beetles; grasshoppers (Acrididae); crickets (Gryllidae); ants; an unidentified insect larva; and one earthworm. 3. Forster, 6 January 1993: beetles; and seeds of Coastal Beard-heath. Observations: 1. Newcastle, 3 February 1987: a flock of birds fed on native figs. 2. Forster, 13 November 1990: a flock of birds on Coast Wattle very heavy in seed; they ate the seed and the pods. 3. Forster, 17 and 20 November 1992: many birds fed on Coastal Beard-heath fruit.

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Stomachs: 1. Wahroonga, 4 January 1971 : insect remains. 2. Wahroonga, 1 May 1971: one pea Pisum; and insect remains. 3. Wahroonga, 26 November 1973: ants; caterpillars; beetles; and some vegetable matter. 4. Wahroonga, 20 January 1974 (M. Lovell): Black Beetles; and bread. 5. St Ives (33°44'$, 151 °ll'E), 23 January 1975 (S. Foster): beetles. 6. Wahroonga, 12 May 1976: ants; moths; and a few seeds. 7. Wahroonga, 9 December 1976: Black Beetles; one other beetle; ants; two grass seeds. 8. Mt Colah, 28 December 1979 (five nestlings): beetles; moths; fruit skin; grass leaves; and a piece of mollusc shell. 9. Mt Colah, 17 November 1980: beetles including weevil; moths; bugs; and a piece of stick. Observations: 1. Mt Colah, 20 February 1975: one bird ate a mantis Tenodera australasiae. 2. Wahroonga, 5 December 1983: one bird carried off a Green Grocer Cicada Cyclochila australasiae. Another Myna had a cicada on the edge of the road; a small dragonAmphibolurus ran out from cover and took the prey, while the Myna fled. The dragon swallowed the prey and returned to its ambush, then repeated the performance when another Myna had a cicada on the ground near the same place. AUS1RALIAN 176 ROSE BIRD WATCHER

Table 1 Occurrence of food items in stomachs of the Australian Magpie from eastern New South Wales, incorporating the data of Rose (1973): contents of 21 stomachs. Number (n) and percentage of stomachs with each food type shown. Food type Stomachs Stomachs n %

Beetles 20 95 Orthopterans 14 67 Ants 8 38 Bugs 4 19 Moths: adults 3 14 laJVae 2 10 Cockroach 3 14 Spiders 11 52 Millipede 3 14 Snail 2 10 Slug 1 5 Frog 2 10 Eggshell 1 5 Seeds 3 14 Fruit 1 5 Vegetation/leaves 4 19 Detritus 1 5 Human food scraps 2 10

Table 2 Occurrence of food items in stomachs of the from eastern New South Wales, incorporating the data of Rose (1973): contents of 36 stomachs. Number (n) and percentage of stomachs with each food type shown. Food type Stomachs Stomachs n %

Beetles 22 61 Ants 21 58 Moths: adults 8 22 laJVae 11 31 Bugs 3 8 Orthopterans 2 6 Washs 2 6 Saw y laJVae 1 3 Fly laJVae 1 3 Stick-insect 1 3 Lacewing 1 3 Mantid ootheca 1 3 Spiders 2 6 Millipede 2 6 Centipede 1 3 Marine slaters 1 3 Snail 3 8 Mollusc shell 1 3 Bird 1 3 Bird egg 1 3 Fruits 12 33 Seeds 2 6 Vegetation 1 3 Human food scraps (bread/meat) 2 6 VOL. 18 (4) Diet of Passerines DECEMBER 1999 II: Butcherbirds to Starlings 177

Table 3 Diet of Pied Currawong by month for northern Sydney suburbs and adjoining bushland, from stomachs, pellets and observations (see text). + = present, * = . Food type D J FMAMJ J A S 0 N Fruits: Mistletoe + · Flax Lily + *Grape + Fig + + + + *PepperTree + Geebung + + + Cheese Tree + Brush Cherry + + *Camphor Laurel + + + + *Lantana + + + *Inkweed + + + + *Firethorn + + + *P~ct + + + + + *Kaffir Plum + *Orange + *Fuchsia + Blueberry Ash + + + + White Cedar + *Mulberry + Flowers + + Fungus + Earthworms + Snails + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Marine arthropods + + + + Marine molluscs + Lizards + Birds + + Bird egg + Human food scraps' + + + 'Includes fruit (Apple/Orange/Mandarin) eaten in suburban or picnic areas and assumed to be left by humans. Discussion The results of this study are generally similar to the food categories recorded by Vestjens & Carrick (1974), Vellenga & Vellenga (1985), Barker & Vestjens (1990), Allison (1993), Lepschi (1993, 1997) and Wood (1998) for these species, with the addition of many specific food records. What little quantification was possible (>10 stomachs per species; Tables 1 and 2) shows that beetles, orthopterans, spiders and ants were most frequent in the diet of the Australian Magpie, and beetles, ants, moths, caterpillars and fruits were most frequent in the diet of the Pied Currawong, although the data for the latter were heavily biased towards spring. For the Magpie, the frequency of prey types was fairly similar to that found by Vestjens & Carrick (1974), except that the latter study also found a high frequency of earthworms. For the Currawong, it is apparent that in urban areas exotic fruits are an important part of the autumn-winter diet, and probably carry the birds through a period that might otherwise be one of food shortage and possible winter mortality (Table 3; see also Bass 1995, Wood 1998). Humans, by growing foreign berry-bearing plants (many of which are invasive bushland weeds), AUSTRALIAN 178 ROSE BIRD WATCHER are therefore likely to be assisting the recent population explosion of the Currawong and the possible adverse effects on the small native birds on which it preys (see Major eta!. 1996, Wood 1998).

Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge N.S.W. National Parks & Wildlife Service staff for collecting dead specimens, and the Departments of Entomology and Arachnology at the Australian Museum for their assistance. I also thank Susie & Stephen Debus for their assistance with the manuscript.

References Allison, B. (1993), 'From petfood to persimmons', Bird Observer 727, 10-14. Barker, R.D. & Vestjens, W.J.M. (1990), The Food of Australian Birds 2, Passerines, CSIRO, Melbourne. Bass, D.A. (1995), 'Contribution of introduced fruits to the winter diet of Pied Currawongs in Armidale, New South Wales', Corella 19, 127-132. Bircher, W.H. (1960), Gardens of the Hesperides, Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop, Cairo. Lepschi, B.J. (1993), 'Food of some Australian birds in eastern New South Wales: additions to Barker & Vestjens', Emu 93, 195-199. --(1997), 'Food of some Australian birds in southern : additions to Barker & Vestjens, part 2', Emu 97, 84-87. Major, R .E., Gowing, G. & Kendal, C.E. (1996), 'Nest predation in Australian urban environments and the role of the Pied Currawong, Strepera graculina', Aust. J. Ecology 21, 399-409. Rose, A.B. (1973), 'Food of some Australian birds', Emu 73, 177-183. --(1974), 'Birds that include ants in their diet', Aust. Birds 9, 26-30. -- (1999), 'Notes on the diet of some passerines in New South Wales I: Fairy-wrens to ', Aust. Bird Watcher 18, 106-120. Vellenga, S. & Vellenga, R. (1985), 'Notes on the food cycle of the Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus', Bird Observer 643, 74-75. Vestjens, W.J.M. & Carrick, R. (1974), 'Food of the Black-backed Magpie, Gymnorhina t. tibicen, at Canberra', Aust. Wild/. Res. 1, 71-83. Wood, K.A. (1998), 'Seasonal changes in diet of Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina at Wollongong, New South Wales', Emu 98, 157- 170. Received 6 May 1999, revised 21 July 1999 •