Gooday Tim
I couldn't tell you whether flying ants are part of the diet of bowerbirds or
figbirds. I imagine they would be. It certainly sounds like your birds have had
some experience at hawking them.
But I do recall a time when I visited a spot called Highfields Falls, not far
north of Toowoomba, Queensland, a few years ago. Just after I arrived, a short,
heavy shower fell and almost immediately afterwards there were flying ants
everywhere. They were so thick that one bird, a Lewin's Honeyeater, didn't even
move off its perch to snatch them up. It just sat back, opened and closed its
beak every now and then and acquired its fill that way. It seemed the most
sensible way to go about feeding at the time.
Michael W
Tim Morris wrote:"This evening when the rains cleared the flying ants were
swarming and the local
birds enjoyed the opportunity with Dollarbirds, Little Wattlebirds, a Grey
Butcherbird, a Black Faced Cuckooshrike, Noisy Miners and a Spangled Drongo all
hawking for the flying ants".
"However they were also joined by Satin Bowerbirds and Figbirds who seemed to be
making the most of the change of diet. The Bowerbirds weren't the most agile of
hawkers however they seemed to know what they were doing. This is the second
time I have seen them feeding on flying ants. I haven't got access to HANZAB
and was wondering if flying ants are recorded as part of the Figbirds and
Bowerbird diet?"
Tim
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