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There
have been no records of this in the ACT yet tho has there?
I
would love the Koel hanging around my place to find a mate and parasitise the
currawong nest in my backyard.
I
presume I have pretty 'normal' views on Pied Currawongs in the ACT birding
community but they do make for some interesting obs - where they hang their
prey, how many diff spots they hang their prey and also the regurgitated
pellets. At the moment the pellets seem to be mostly made up of
beetle casings, the iridescent green beetles (on top) with an iridescent orange
underside. There are also some seeds/pips in the mix that look a bit
like a Pistachio nut but half the size.
cheers, Alex.
-----Original Message-----
From:
John Layton [
Sent: Thursday, 23
November 2006 8:22 PM
To: Canberrabirds
Subject:
[canberrabirds] Re: Koels, Channel-billed Cuckoos & Pheasant
Coucals
I'm led to believe that one possible reason for increased local sightings
of Koels and Channel-billed Cuckoos is the seeming increase of Pied
Currawongs which may be good hosts for these larger parasitic cuckoos. As
Phillip Veerman says these are strong flyers, able to cover appreciable
distances, whereas the Pheasant Coucal appears to be a flutterer-scuttler
rather than a long-haul specialist. Also, without checking (too lazy/tired) I
believe the Pheasant Coucal is the only Australian cuckoo that doesn't
parasitse.
John Layton
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