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At ANBG on 5 January, I watched an adult Olive-backed Oriole land on a
branch carrying the Godzilla of caterpillars which was c.100mm long and c.20mm
thick and very hairy/spiky. Probably the larva of one of the large gum
moths.
It bashed the caterpillar against the branch for about five seconds
some seven times. Then it shuffled it sideways in its bill and clamped down
on it, repeating the process several times along the length of the body. I
suspect it may have done this to make the caterpillar exude irritant
fluid as well as being part of the killing/softening-up process.
That done, it flew and perched next to what appeared to be a very young
fledgling which took one end of the caterpillar and began to to swallow it.
Three times the adult lifted the free end of the caterpillar so it was on the
same plane as the tip of the fledgling's upturned bill, seemingly to assist in
the gulping-down process. After some 20 seconds, Junior got its larval
lunch down the hatch. Pass the Alka-Seltzer.
John K. Layton.
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