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On Friday afternoon I was birding on the Murrumbigee River near the village
of Oura, 16km east of Wagga. In an area of riverine woodland I saw a pair
of Crested Shrike-tits alight on a nearby tree branch. Five seconds later, an
immature (upon subsequent consulting of references, probably closer to the
juvenile stage) Shrike-tit landed between the adults, wing-quivered and opened
its bill in a typical begging display. But Ma and Pa ignored it and flew to a
nearby tree leaving Junior begging and peeping piteously.
Three seconds later, a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike landed next to the
young Shrike-tit, appeared to poke something into its bill and flew away. Junior
Shrike-tit perched mutely for a moment before fluttering to the tree into which
its neglectful parents had disappeared.
John K. Layton.
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