David,
Yes that sounds right. Hosts of young cuckoos seem to get so duped by the babies that they take all care of them, till the bond is broken. Other members of the same host species that did not have the same fate of raising a cuckoo, still
appear to recognise the cuckoo as a threat. I suggest that what you observed is both outcomes. Also as Jack noted and likely, this DY Koel is probably at transition stage. Sometimes young cuckoos are able to successfully obtain food from other than their foster
parents. Very likely the young cuckoos don't know the difference between their foster parents and others of the species until they get a different reaction. So it is worth trying.
Philip
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of john harris via Canberrabirds
Sent: Monday, 18 January, 2021 3:02 PM
To:
Cc: COG bird list
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Koel breeding event??
I have observed similar behaviour but did not think to report it in my earlier posts about the juvenile and male Koels.
There are always a number of Wattlebirds around when the juvenile Koel is here. Some seem to be trying to approach it while others seem to be trying to drive it away. My hypothesis was that the original Wattlebird parents are still programmed
to respond the Koel’s begging calls. Other Wattlebirds, however, are programmed to try to drive Koels away. So perhaps both are happening at the same time. The Wattlebirds are also being aggressive to each other so that too may be a function of competing reactions
to the Koel. John Harris
Many thanks David, I expect you did witness a relatively advanced Koel fledgling being fed. If you were 250 m away it is likely you wouldn’t have been able to hear it begging
– even the loudest Koel fledglings I’ve had were only audible from about 150 m away.
I had a similar experience with my single fledgling last week about a fortnight after it was first found as a pretty mobile one, it was pursued across the street by 2 Red
Wattlebirds (there are lots around in my local area this season), one of which was cm from its tail. When they moved away it sat there begging loudly in a very exposed position, as older ones often do.
From: Dr
David Rosalky <>
Sent: Monday, 18 January 2021 9:54 AM
To: COG bird list <>
Cc: 'Jack and Andrea Holland' <>
Subject: Koel breeding event??
This morning (18 Jan) I heard an unfamiliar noise and scanned the area it came from (it was visible from my place but took place in Empire Circuit Deakin). I saw a Red Wattlebird
flying into a tree and seemingly foraging. But then a long brown bird landed in a nearby tree. Clearly a Koel, but a female or a juvenile? The call was not the common Keek call of a female and may have been a begging call. As if to answer my question,
the RWB landed beside the Koel. I did not actually witness the transfer of food and no audible sound was heard (I was about 250m from the event), but I assumed that it was a feeding of a dependent bird.
Then the Koel shifted to an adjacent tree and suddenly three RWBs came out of left field (well, actually, right field) and chased the Koel away.
So, I don’t know whether it was a feeding event or not. If not, what was the first RWB doing cosying up to the Koel with no apparent agonistic responses? It is possible,
I suppose, that the bird was dependent; the first RWB was a foster parent; and the others just didn’t like a Koel around even if being fed by a congener.
As to ID, the bird was quite a long way away and against the morning sun. I could not discern plumage detail except to note that the sunshine passing through the bird’s
tail was very golden possibly indicating the lighter colouring of the juvenile relative to the adult female.
My guess is that it was a feeding event. Koels have been fairly active around here this season, but the only breeding interaction I have seen was on one day some weeks ago
when a male and female performed noisy chases.
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