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The Rainbow Bird

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The Rainbow Bird The Rainbow Bird Volume 6 Number 1 February 2017 (Issue 89) In this Issue Symbiosis Page 2 Willie Wagtails Page 5 The Sad Death of a Page 6 Kingfisher My Bird Page 8 White-eared Page 9 Honeyeaters Who is Robert Hall? Page 10 Black and White Birds Page 12 Challenge Count 2016 Page 13 Glossy Ibis Page 14 Grey Teal Page 15 Striated Pardalotes Page 16 Sparrowhawks Page 17 Wind beneath their Page 18 Wings Young Spoonbills Page 19 Species Profile Page 20 Hotspot Profile Page 23 1 The Challenge Page 25 Sightings and Calendar Page 26 The Rainbow Bird Photo acknowledgements for title page: Symbiosis Allan Taylor, Lindsay Cupper, Ken Job, Pauline I was recently handed a copy of the Sunraysia Naturalists’ Follett, Richard Wells, Research Trusts’ 1975/76 report by Helen. This will be kept in Finley Japp. the cabinet that holds the books of the Favaloro collection. The report covers a year which seems to be one of the best for sighting birds in recent memory. Part of the report details the Trust members’ observations on the bird nests in the Tapio area just north of Hollands Lake. There were large numbers of White-browed Woodswallow and Masked Woodswallow nests constructed close to each other and to those of Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes. Apparently, this behaviour is well-known but I don’t know the reason for it. The article got me thinking about Symbiotic Relationships. When referring to relationships between flora and fauna, it is common to sub-divide these relationships into Mutualistic; Commensalistic; and Parasitic relationships. The former classification refers to situations where two different species both derive a benefit from a relationship or behaviour; the second refers to the situation where one species benefits while the second species doesn’t but is not disadvantaged; and the latter is the situation where one species benefits at the expense of the other. White-browed and Masked Woodswallows, almost invariably, travel in flocks together. There is, most probably, the advantage of larger flocks providing some protection against predator attack but a more obvious one is that the two species, which are very closely related, seek out the same habitat and food sources so that this might be more efficiently, and with less competition, done in a large flock. The relationships between the two woodswallow species and between them and the cuckoo-shrikes are, therefore, examples of a Mutualistic Relationship. Incidentally, the above two woodswallow species are known, occasionally, to hybridise. It has been recorded that New Holland Honeyeaters have been known to try to raise Dusky Woodswallow chicks. I think that this behaviour, however, is more a case of the honeyeaters responding to an urge to brood young chicks rather than to attempt to assist the woodswallows. Apostlebirds and White-winged Choughs are frequently seen together. It is not known whether they derive mutual benefit from this relationship or whether the similarities in their behaviours and their food and nesting sources result in this apparent symbiosis. Australian Hobbys and Grey Butcherbirds will often hunt prey together. This is Mutualistic behaviour and, I guess, both species benefit from their differing hunting techniques and abilities. Birds are in our Nature February 2017 - 2 The Rainbow Bird Grey Butcherbirds, also, seem to have an affinity with Striped Honeyeaters. The latter nest slightly later than the Butcherbird and the nest will, often, be close to that of the Butcherbird. I wonder whether the similarity in their calls may have some effect on the Butcherbird behaviour, which seems protective of the Honeyeater. It is well known that Willie Wagtails often construct their nests close by a nest of a Magpie-lark. It is thought that the Willie Wagtails obtain the benefit of the Magpie-larks’ aggressive behaviour in driving off other species. In doing so, the Magpie-larks would drive off predators from the Willie Wagtails nest. If this is the reason for the two nests being constructed close together, it is an example of Commensalistic behaviour. Another commonly seen behaviour is the case where White-breasted Woodswallows use the discarded nest of a Magpie-lark pair for their own use. The advantage is an obvious one for the woodswallows in that they don’t have to spend the effort in constructing a nest of their own. Small birds often benefit from the alarm calls of Noisy and Yellow-throated Miners. I recall one occasion when I was photographing the Spotless Crakes at Etiwanda Wetlands when the bird I was watching suddenly jumped in the air and scurried off into the cover of the reeds. It wasn’t until I saw a Whistling Kite above that I realised that the miners had called and the crake had reacted. Photo by Finley Japp Silver Gulls routinely act as lookouts for other water birds and waders. The gulls seem to enjoy the sport of scolding both human and raptor intruders and, most times, large numbers of other birds will react. Zebra Finches are known to often construct their nests immediately below that of a Wedge-tailed Eagle. The Cuppers reported that Zebra Finches, also, seem to co-exist with Black-breasted Buzzards. Similar synergies appear to exist where magpies will tolerate smaller species such as Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Striated Pardalotes and Southern Whiteface nesting in close proximity to their own nests. Weebills and Thornbills usually forage together, presumably following the same food source. Maybe they derive some benefit from their different feeding techniques in locating and alarming the insects on which they eat. I have, also, wondered whether this is the case for what I perceive is a relationship between Inland Thornbill and Shy Heathwrens. The Thornbills appear to forage the upper parts of the heath while the Heathwrens forage on or near ground-level. Orange, Crimson and White-fronted Chats, Pipits and Songlarks are often found in the same area at the same time. Maybe this is simply a case of them sharing similar habitat and food sources. Birds are in our Nature February 2017 - 3 The Rainbow Bird The subject of the parasitic behaviour of Cuckoos is really a subject of its own but the report that I mentioned above contained an article by the late Chris Sonter which is of some interest. He recalled, on a trip to the east of NSW, an incident where two Fan-tailed Cuckoos and two Shining Bronze- Cuckoos mimicked the call of a male Rufous Whistler while they were in close proximity to the female Rufous Whistler. The male was nowhere to be seen. Chris surmised that the cuckoos were trying to stimulate the female Rufous Whistler to start nest-building in preparation to it receiving the male. Chris wondered whether this in fact happened and if, when the Whistler nested, it raised a chick of either or both species of cuckoo. Further, if two species hatched, he wondered which one would prevail. Thank you to Helen Devilee for providing the report and my thanks to Pauline Follett for a few suggestions for inclusion in this article. By Allan Taylor Photos by Allan Taylor Addendum Another example of symbiosis between bird species was recorded in an article in “The Emu” magazine of 1978. It was recorded that two Little Egrets accompanied a flock of feeding Sacred Ibis. Each Egret selected an Ibis and followed that bird at a distance of some two meters. The Ibis prodded in the mud of the mud-flat where the birds were feeding and the Egrets fed from the areas that had been disturbed by the Ibis. Birds are in our Nature February 2017 - 4 The Rainbow Bird Willie Wagtails On 4th October I took my brother in to Mildura Base Hospital for a cataract operation. While waiting for him, I had a bite to eat at the Hospital’s café. The courtyard to the café is covered by the branches of several trees and most people go outside there to sit and eat their meals or drink their drinks. Two of the nurses sitting nearby mentioned a Willie Wagtail that was sitting in a nest above our heads. Of course, on seeing the bird, I had to go back to my car and come back with my camera to take a photo. The first image to the right is the result. At the risk of boring you with the details of my brother’s medical history, I must tell you that he had a second cataract operation on 31st October and, once again, I found myself in the café courtyard having a bite to eat. I immediately looked up for the Wagtail nest and noticed that it had completely disappeared – the Willies had, apparently, finished raising their young. After a few minutes I looked up again and saw another nest that was not much more than a meter above head height. Again, I hurried outside to the car to collect my camera. I hadn’t had time to position my chair correctly for a clear shot when one bird came to put finishing touches on the nest. She did this by wiping the contents of her beak onto the top of the nest and then wriggling around to get the nest into the correct and comfortable shape. I took a few shots and then decided to move further back so that I could get a nicely framed photo. However, before I could do so, the male came down from somewhere and mated with the female while she was sitting in the nest. The following photo records this event. You will note that I wasn’t far enough back to get the pair and the nest fully into the shot so I have come up with a resultant “action” shot.
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