Syd -
According to Cliff and Dawn Frith (The Bowerbirds, OUP, 2004) Satin
Bowerbirds 'have been known to kill small blue fellow captive birds to use
as bower decorations' citing Murray in Chaffer 1945 (Emu 44: 141-161). They
also mention a dead blue-plumaged Superb Fairy-wren found at a bower near
Healesville, Victoria, citing Veselovsky 1979 (Acta scientiarum naturalium
Academiae scientiarum bohemoslovacae 13: 1-29), and a bower with two Crimson
Rosella wings, in Marshall 1934 (Emu 34: 57-61). These do not, of course,
prove that Satin Bowerbirds, in the wild, kill other birds for bower
decorating, but they suggest the possibility and are presumably the sourceof
the quote.
Cheers,
Hugo
Hugo Phillipps
Queenscliff, Vic
>The accuracy or otherwise of the bowerbird reference is not of
> prime concern so far as the book is concerned, but somehow the author got
> that impression of the species. From where, I wonder?
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.4 - Release Date: 2005-04-27
--------------------------------------------
Birding-Aus is now on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
--------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message 'unsubscribe
birding-aus' (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
