Last Saturday, 15 July, I witnessed what seemed strange behaviour on the
part of a female Figbird.
I was visiting the northern Gold Coast. Mid-morning, I walked into the back
yard and saw a bird perched on a palm tree in a neighbour's yard. I am
afraid I do not know the species but it had red fruit about the size of
large grapes. The Figbird was perched on the stems hanging from the tree
and on which the fruit was set. The bird fed on the fruit once during the
two hours that I know it sat there.
Most of the time it sat with its feathers puffed out making it look much
larger than it was. At intervals it spread its wings and tail in the
fashion of a cormorant drying itself. The weather was fine, warm and there
was no way the Figbird's feathers were wet.
The fact that it sat in the one exposed position for at least two hours
seems strange in itself but the wing and tail spreading deepens the mystery.
Is this behaviour unusual? What was the purpose of this behaviour? I am
sure someone can enlighten me.
Terry Pacey
TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350
Tel/Fax: 07 4638 1193
Mobile: 0412 454 030
www.pacey.au.com
Don't forget to visit the Toowoomba Bird Observers site:
www.pacey.au.com/tbo.htm
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