Yesterday I saw a small flock of Crested Pigeons (about 6 birds from memory)
in an open grassed area. One pigeon was lying on its side on the ground,
flicking one wing upwards, so that the undersurface of the wing was exposed
for about seconds with each flick. The other Crested Pigeons did not seem to
react, continuing to forage around the displaying bird. I thought at first
that the bird lying on its side was dead or injured and that the wind was
catching the wing and blowing it upward. But as I approached the flock on
foot all the birds, including the "wing flicker" flew to a nearby tree.
So I then thought I had observed some form of courtship display, but there
is no mention of this behavior in HANZAB. Has anyone else observed this
behavior in Crested Pigeons? I'm also interested to hear other peoples'
views on the purpose of the display.
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