Shane mentioned that he thought he could remember seeing previous
references describing birds eating charcoal or ash. There are in fact a
number describing a wide range of Australian birds exhibiting such
behaviour. Eating ash has also been reported in some Northern Hemisphere
species, including hummingbirds. The following is a summary of some of the
Australian examples, reproduced from Western Australian Bird Notes (WABN)
(newsletter of the WA Group of the RAOU/Birds Australia). If anyone has any
further information on the basis of this behaviour, I would be interested
to hear about it.
>From WABN 77: 5 (1996):
BLACK HONEYEATERS AND ASH
In the last issue of WABN (No. 76, p. 9), F. Robinson reported seeing Black
Honeyeaters feeding amongst ash on Glenflorrie Station.
Similar behaviour has been reported before, particularly for Black
Honeyeaters. Other Australian species recorded eating ash and/or nibbling
or eating charcoal include the Short-tailed Shearwater, Bourke Parrot, Tree
Martin, Fairy Martin, Dusky Wood-swallow, Double-barred Finch and Zebra
Finch (Mollison and Green 1962, Baldwin 1965, Chisholm 1967). However, it
appears to have been reported most often for Black Honeyeaters, and within
this species, most reports concern female birds.
In Western Australia, Seyfort (1984) reported female Black Honeyeaters
swallowing "small white lumps of potash" picked up from the ash of old
campfires at several places in the Murchison region. One local RAOU member,
Kevin Coate, has reported female, but not male, Black Honeyeaters feeding
on ash at the time of commencement of breeding in the Pilbara and
Murchison. Analysis of a sample of the ash showed that it was very high in
calcium, suggesting that the females may have been building up their
calcium levels prior to nesting and egg-laying (Coate 1985).
Elsewhere, Pescott (1985) observed Black Honeyeaters carrying pieces of
charcoal in north-western Victoria, and cited an observation by L. Conole
of Black Honeyeaters eating charcoal in this same area. In South Australia,
Black Honeyeaters have also been seen feeding amongst charcoal and ash
(Hutchins 1988) but in this case, both male and female birds were involved.
Although these observations were also at a time of breeding, they suggest
an explanation different to, or more complex than, that offered by Kevin
Coate.
It is known that some birds feed calcareous material (grit, shells of
molluscs) to their nestlings, presumably to supply the calcium needed when
forming the skeleton (Campbell and Lack 1985, p. 256). If Black Honeyeaters
did this, it may provide the explanation for male and female birds picking
up bits of charcoal, although would not seem to provide an explanation for
actually eating charcoal or ash, because they would simply carry it to the
young. Obviously, further careful observations would be of interest, and if
any RAOU member notices such behaviour, it would be interesting to obtain
chemical analyses of the ash as well as charcoal, along with observations
on the stage of breeding.
Allan Burbidge
References:
Baldwin, M. 1965. Birds eating charcoal. Emu 64: 208.
Campbell, B. and Lack, E. 1985. A Dictionary of Birds. T. and A.D. Poyser,
Calton, Staffordshire.
Chisholm, A.H. 1967. Some ornithological oddities: concerning
gizzard-stones. Emu 66: 374-375.
Coate, K. 1985. Black Honeyeaters feeding on ash. Western Australian
Naturalist 16: 51-52.
Hutchins, B.R. 1988. Black Honeyeaters feeding amongst charcoal and ash.
South Australian Ornithologist 30: 160.
Mollison, B.C. and Green, R.H. 1962. Mist-netting Tree Martins on charcoal
patches. Emu 61: 277-280.
Pescott, T. 1988. Black Honeyeaters and charcoal. Geelong Naturalist 22:
37-39.
Seyfort, M. 1984. B.O.C. Western Australia Tour, 1-23 September, 1984. Bird
Observer 635: 124.
- - -
Dr Allan H. Burbidge E-mail
Dept of Conservation and Land Management,
Wildlife Research Centre,
PO Box 51, Wanneroo WA, 6065 Australia
Tel: +61 8 9405 5100 Fax: +61 8 9306 1641
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