birding-aus

Re: Brown Falcon v Currawong

To: John Larocque <>
Subject: Re: Brown Falcon v Currawong
From: WM James Davis <>
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 19:31:03 +1000 (EST)
John:  

  Very interesting behaviour - head held down with bill pressed to the
cable. Do you suppose that this a species-specific aggressive display?
Currawongs do have an impressive beak that could cause some damage to its
opponent - I like to think of them as Australian Toucanets because of the
size of their bill and their fruit eating habits.  To make a guess : the
currawong had a nest nearby and the magpie did not.  Yesterday I watched
two magpies chase what appeared to be agoshawk above the canopy of an open
forest in Mt Coot-tha Park Brisbane.  Magpies have started breeding here.

Cheers, Jim 

On Fri, 1 Aug 1997, John Larocque wrote:

> Are Pied Currawongs known to be aggressive toward Falcons? 
> I have just seen a very assertive Pied Curawong harrass a Brown Falcon
> while a Magpie sat close by and watched. All three were sitting on power
> lines in open grassy woodland on the ridge between Torrens ACT and the
> Tuggeranong Valley. The Currawong pressed its bill to the cable and with
> its ear to the cable moved with purposeful hops toward the Falcon's
> feet. The Falcon was motionless. The Currawong then lept to the air to
> pass over the Falcon keeping its bill between itself and the Falcon.
> Except for ducking the Currawong's bill, the Falcon barely moved. This
> went on repeatedly for about five minutes after which the Falcon flew
> off slowly with the Currawong in pursuit for about 200 meters.  
> 
> John Larocque
> Canberra Australia
> email:     or   
> ________________________________________________________________________
> 
> 
> 


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