My understanding is that the brood patch is triggered as part of the hormonal response to breeding to aid the incubation of the egg while sitting on it, then disappears once breeding over. My understanding is
supported by the infallible basis of government policy, Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_patch
Also a brood patch is very different that an bald patch, and bald patch such as could conceivably be caused by a parasite it obviously not evidence of breeding.
So this is evidence of current breeding. I've been told that there is no code for it in the Blitz/COG records. Is that true? If it is, then it would be a shame to be not able to record this type of breeding record,
even if the opportunity to collect this kind of data is limited to approved research projects.
John
From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Wednesday, 30 October 2013 6:08 PM
To: John Brown; 'COG_Mailing_List'
Subject: Pilotbird breeding records?
Pilotbirds are residents so surely they must breed here. The COG Atlas (now very old) has a mention of one nest building from 1988. Presumably they are hard to
find breeding. I'm intrigued about "FYI, brood patches were also found on: Shining Bronze-Cuckoo". Do brood parasites also form this? I would have thought this feature would have been deleted over time.
-----Original Message-----From: John Brown
Sent: Wednesday, 30 October 2013 4:59 PM To:
COG_Mailing_List Subject:
[canberrabirds] Pilotbird breeding records?
At New Chum Road mist netting which happened to coincide with the Blitz, we netted a pilotbird with a brood patch. There was some speculation about whether or not there were records of pilotbirds breeding in the ACT?
FYI, brood patches were also found on:
Shining Bronze-cuckoo
White-browed Scrubwren
Brown Thornbill
Striated Thornnbill
Eastern Spinebill
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Crescent Honeyeater
White-napped Honeyeater
Golden Whistler
Eastern Yellow Robin
Bassian Thrush
John
