They are eating Œwood grubs¹, that is the larvae of tree-boring beetles
like the longhorn beetle. Colckatoos generally include Œgrubs¹- various
larvae - in their diet but none as significantly as the YTBC for whom it
is a very important mid-winter food source. The grubs are fattest now,
prior to their spring metamorphosis and soon the YTBC will be
regurgitating this rich foor for their hatchlings.Where forests have been
destroyed a single isolated trees remain they are capable of destroying a
mature tree if it is the only grub source around. They destroyed an
old-growth Yellow Box on Percival Hill a few years ago although it looked
pretty sick to start with.
On 23/06/2015 8:21 am, "Ray Comer" <> wrote:
>Hi Everyone - We have a dead gum tree behind our house in Lyneham North.
>All this week we have had a family of four with at least one DY. The
>birds chew away at the dead timber and I have witnessed one bird
>regurgitating and feeding one of the young which was being very demanding
>and loud. The tree seems very dead and seemingly there would be no
>creatures there for the birds to catch. So the question comes to mind
>what are they actually eating, could anyone elucidate on this, I would be
>most interested.
>
>Incidentally when I do my evening walk on Lyneham Ridge( about 5pm) there
>are groups of Ytbc's arrive for roosting with at least twenty there this
>evening. They certainly make different calls as they settle in for the
>evening.
>
>Cheers
>
>Ray Comer
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