canberrabirds

Bowerbird fledgling?

To: 'Dr David Rosalky' <>, 'COG bird list' <>
Subject: Bowerbird fledgling?
From: "" <>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2021 02:15:26 +0000

Thank you David, while I agree with Philip and you Philip, I’ve never seen one so brown or so far out in the open. 

 

I have seen a few Satin Bowerbird (SBB) fledglings over the years, usually in my GBS site, but have always found it very difficult to separate them from the adult female(s) present.  Often they are a bit duller, but I usually have to be very patient and wait for them to be fed before I can be sure, as their begging is usually very quiet.   I’ve always dubbed them as very “surreptitious breeders” probably because the females has to do it all on her own while the male remains at the bower trying to attract other partners. 

 

Jack Holland

 

From: Canberrabirds <> On Behalf Of Dr David Rosalky
Sent: Monday, 11 January 2021 12:41 PM
To: COG bird list <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Bowerbird fledgling?

 

A friend living in Moruya Heads sent me this photo for ID.

My guess is that it is a newly fledged Satin Bowerbird.  I have never seen one so young and none of my books, including HANZAB shows a chick as opposed to a juvenile bird.

 

You can see some olive green on the upper back and the head/bill shape is characteristic.  The dots on the wing are somewhat more prominent than the juvenile.

 

Interestingly, the bird still displays a gape.  So, it may be within 3 weeks of fledging.  HANZAB has a detailed description of plumage but I found it difficult to correlate with what I see in the photo.

 

Can someone more familiar than I verify the ID for me please?

 

David R


Virus-free. www.avg.com

Attachment: ATT00001.txt
Description: ATT00001.txt

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU