Tameness in Australian birds

[John Leonard <>]

I have heard that Purple Swamphens are very shy and difficult to see elsewhere in their range. On a birdign trip in Kenya I was vastly amused by keen the Brits were to tick PS. Eventually we saw one and this particular ssp is very differently coloured from the Aus one (much more turquoise), but sounds much the same.

 

And we only did see one or two!

 

John L

 

On 12/20/05, David Adams <> wrote:

>      Might I suggest that Europeans have been shooting birds since guns were
> invented, many passerines are migrants through Malta, Spain, Southern France
> and Italy, and the survivors have evolved to be wary of man.  I have never
> encountered such man-shy birds anywhere as in the Camargue in S. France,
> where recipes for songbird pie are everyday, but they have to use farmed
> quail instead. (Not enough songbirds left)

The same species can have very different behavior in different parts
of their range. For example, the Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) is shy to
the point of invisibility in Italy. The same species is approachable
in, for example, Sweden. In Italy, they hunt anything and everything.

---------------------------------------------
David Adams

Wallaga Lake 2546 NSW
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-- 
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net