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Hello Bette,
Do Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes often prey on the nestlings of other species?
I've never heard of them doing it before. The only reference I could find
on a quick search of the books is in the "Reader's Digest Complete
Book of Australian Birds" (1983 revision) p. 344, which offers circumstantial
evidence: "Black-faced cuckoo-shrikes are primarily insect -eaters. They
also eat berries and other fruit, and since many smaller birds chase
them away it seems that on occasions they take nestlings."
Regards,
Colin Scouler
bette wrote:
Hi Graham,
I was interested to read about your young Brown Honeyeaters. My sister
lives in Kalgoorlie in W.A and has recently enjoyed watching a pair of
Brown Honeyeaters building a nest in a hanging basket under her verandah.
My sister tip toed around them and took the globe out of the socket so
as not to disturb them after dark. They seemed very trusting and tolerated
the presence of humans and the family dog.Imagine her horror when from
under her very nose a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike swooped down and took one
chick and left another on the floor of the verandah. The surviving chick
was placed back in the nest under the watchful eye of the Cuckoo-Shrike.
My sister stood guard over the remaining chick but had to eventually go
inside and the Cuckoo Shrike was quick off the mark to seize the hapless
chick despite aggressive protests from every Brown Honeyeater in the garden.
Needless to say the Cuckoo- Shrike is not flavour of the month in one garden
in Kalgoorlie.The pair were seen a few days later collecting cobwebs for
another nesting attempt, they have given the verandah away, lets hope this
time they are successful!!
Bett Mitchell.
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