Peter Woodall <> wrote:
At 22:37 30/08/2000 +1000, you wrote:
Hi birders,
Maybe someone can answer this puzzle. Near where I
live on the Central Coast of NSW a family of
kookaburras about 12 have started an unusual
occupation.
Every afternoon for the last week at about 4.30pm
-daylight saving - one of these birds picks up a rock
(about 45mm in dia) and begins to hit it on the fence
- post and rail fence - When he\she drops the rock,
flys down picks it up and starts again. Today 2
kookaburras
did this and then flew into the trees with a rock
each, dropped it and came back picked up another rock
and started all over again.
Originally just one bird was doing this, now sometimes
two. The home owner is fast running out of rocks and
looks like having to find some more for the birds
because when they drop them from the trees they land
in thick undergrowth, so the birds just get a new
rock. The home owner is quite fascinated by this
behaviour.,
Has anyone any idea as to why the birds are behaving
in this manner.
Dellas.
Hi Dellas
Just a guess that this might be some form of play.
There are just a few scattered reports of other
species of kingfishers banging inanimate objects on
their perch, as they would in killing a prey item.
Cheers
Pete
Dr Peter Woodall email =
Division of Vet Pathology & Anatomy
School of Veterinary Science. Phone = +61 7 3365 2300
The University of Queensland Fax = +61 7 3365
1355
Brisbane, Qld, Australia 4072
WWW = http://www.uq.edu.au/~anpwooda
"hamba phezulu" (= "go higher" in isiZulu)
G'day Dellas,
I would like to agree with the very knowledgeable
Peter Woodall on this, but before Russell Woodford or
Tony Russell get to answer this email? I would like to
say they could be forming up a rock band by the sounds
of it?
Seriously, though they are known to use tools as do
North American Crows who use sticks to prize out their
prey or quarry and as does the Australian Magpie.
Very small stones ( before Tony says Mick Jagger ) are
also found within their bodies? it is believed it
helps with food digestion? I'd like to hear more from
our good and very learned friends of this list about
that?
They could be attempting to break the stones to use
for another purpose? keep watching and give them all
my love please, my laughing friends.
Keep smiling,
John A. Gamblin.
=====
Hastings,
Where Western Port waders regularily meet.
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