Grey Fantail foraging behaviour The Whistler 13 (2019): 81-82 Foraging behaviour by Grey Fantail at the Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, NSW Rob Kyte PO Box 396, Hamilton, NSW 2303, Australia [email protected] Received 12 August 2019; accepted 30 August 2019; published on-line 2 September 2019 Over the past several years I have regularly visited The Grey Fantail was gathering small winged a study site in the Sugarloaf State Conservation insects that had escaped the attention of the Area, near Wakefield, NSW. On three of my visits treecreeper as it foraged. The treecreeper did not I have observed a foraging interaction involving a appear to be bothered in any way. On all three Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa and a White- occasions when I have observed this behaviour, the throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea. The White-throated Treecreeper seemed completely at behaviour of each bird was quite similar on each ease with the Grey Fantail’s presence. occasion, suggesting that the interaction of the two species was not unusual. There was a clear benefit for the Grey Fantail from this foraging behaviour but there seems no The habitat at the site where the interactions have apparent benefit for the White-throated occurred is dry sclerophyll forest containing Treecreeper. This form of one-way benefit feeding Smooth-barked Apple Angophora costata, Black association is known as commensalism (Campbell She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis, Red Bloodwood & Lack 1985). It may in fact be a characteristic Corymbia gummifera, Ironbark Eucalyptus behaviour by the Grey Fantail. For example, in a sideroxylon and Sydney Peppermint Eucalyptus study in the Maclean River valley in northern piperita, with understorey vegetation that includes NSW, a fantail followed either a treecreeper or a Sandpaper Fig Ficus coronata, Lantana Lantana Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki on five camara and various grasses. occasions, staying within 1 m and catching insects flushed by the lead bird (Cameron 1975). The dates of my observations were 15 March 2015, Similarly, a Grey Fantail in Tasmania was 20 March 2016 and 19 January 2019. My notes observed to shadow a foraging Scrubtit from the first observed interaction are reported Acanthornis magna in the same manner as below. The behaviours of both species were very described above (M. Newman pers. comm.). The similar on the two other occasions. Early morning Grey Fantail is also well known to forage around on 15 March 2015 a White-throated Treecreeper farm animals (such as horses and cattle) and flitted past at close quarters to me and landed low people, catching insects flushed by them (Higgins on the trunk of a nearby mature Ironbark. The et al. 2006). treecreeper was followed by a Grey Fantail which landed in a Sandpaper Fig next to the Ironbark. Commensalism, although uncommon, is practised The treecreeper proceeded to climb the trunk of the by some other avian species. For example, the Ironbark, foraging and pulling off pieces of bark. Pilotbird Pycnoptilus floccosus is known to track The fantail left its perch and flew over to the the movements of the Superb Lyrebird Menura treecreeper and began to follow it, often within a novaehollandiae, collecting food displaced during few centimetres of the bird as it climbed the tree the lyrebird’s scratching. The Yellow-throated searching for morsels. This behaviour continued Scrubwren Sericornis citreogularis has been for at least a minute until the treecreeper reached a observed following both Superb Lyrebird and height of approximately 6 m when it then flew on Australian Logrunner Orthonyx temminckii to the next tree. The Grey Fantail closely followed (Higgins & Peter 2002). Hoary-headed Grebe and again proceeded to track the treecreeper’s Poliocephalus poliocephalus has been recorded movement up the tree before becoming lost from following Hardhead Aythya australis when the my sight. latter was diving for aquatic plants and animals (Roderick & Newman 2013). 81 Grey Fantail foraging behaviour The Whistler 13 (2019): 81-82 The Grey Fantail often joins mixed-species feeding Campbell, B. and Lack, E. (1985). ‘A dictionary of flocks, usually of other small insectivorous birds’. (The British Ornithologist’s Union, T. & A.D. passerines. The way that these mixed flocks Poyser Ltd: Staffordshire, England.) interact is not well studied. Higgins et al. (2006) Higgins, P.J. and Peter, J.M. (Eds) (2002). ‘Handbook list more than 30 species which the Grey Fantail of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Volume 6: Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes’. (Oxford sometimes associates with in mixed flocks, University Press: Melbourne.) including the White-throated Treecreeper and more Higgins, P.J., Peter, J.M. and Cowling, S.J. (Eds) than 20 other Australian species as well as several (2006). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and in New Zealand (where the nominate race of Grey Antarctic Birds Volume 7: Boatbills to Larks’. Fantail occurs). Association with other species in (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.) mixed-species feeding flocks is recorded more often in the non-breeding season (Higgins et al. 2006). It is notable that my observations of Note added in proof: At 1410 on Saturday 31 commensalism by Grey Fantail have occurred in August 2019 at the same location within the January and March, presumably still within the Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, I and a breeding season although probably closer towards colleague witnessed two additional instances of the end of it (especially with the March commensalism by a Grey Fantail with a White- observations). This suggests that commensalism throated Treecreeper. Both instances happened may be a common behaviour by the Grey Fantail, within a mixed-species feeding flock of and may occur when it forages with other species approximately 30 birds containing Grey Fantail, in mixed feeding flocks. thornbills, Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis, Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus and White-throated Treecreeper. As the flock REFERENCES moved slowly through the lower canopy, two different fantails could clearly be seen to be Roderick, M. and Newman, M. (2013). Association following 'their own' White-throated Treecreeper between feeding Hardheads and Hoary-headed while it foraged. Grebes. The Whistler 7: 59. Cameron, E. (1975). Habitat usage and foraging behaviour of three Fantails (Rhipidura: Pachycephalidae). In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management’ (Eds. A.,Keast, H.F. Recher, H. Ford, & D. Saunders). Pp. 241–248. (Surrey Beatty & Sons: Sydney.) 82 .