Beautiful wrens

["Phillip DUKE" <>]

I've seen Red-Backed Wrens give their mates a  red  geranium petal and the second time it was another red petal of a plant I couldn't identify.

 

Original Message -----

From:

To: ; m("bigpond.com","valcurt");">Val Curtis

Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2004 8:09 PM

Subject: Re: [BIRDING-AUS] Beautiful wrens

Dear Val and birders,

 

Val wrote:-

 

 "We watched them for a while and then I had the most incredible view of a male SFW holding a yellow petal in its beak, black feathers all fluffed out so that he looked like a little blue and black ball offering his yellow petal to a female. I have read about this display but in all my thirty odd years of birdwatching have never seen one using the yellow petal. We had wonderful views of this and were very thrilled to witness such a spectacular  event."     

 

How lovely!

In that case I'll have to add to this, as it may be 'normal' behavior among most wrens:-

I was with Nevil Lazarus at Round Hill 25/8 (north-west of Lake Cargelligo, west of Parkes, NSW)when we were thrilled to observe a male Splendid Wren (race Melanotus) offer his girl a tiny purple-blue flower, which she accepted upon which they flew off -- they also had fluffed out feathers!! HANZAB volume 5, top rhs corner page 281, describes "Petal Displays" among Superb Fairy-wrens. Wonderful stuff!!

 

Thanks Val,

Regards,

Peter Madvig