Tim,
As for your last line. Well that is often right.
Other answer is the female Chestnut Teal is much darker. The real mystery is why
is one species sexually dimorphic and the other is not. Yet their social
behaviour is apparently the same (so I'm told). That question was the subject of
my "honours" year at La Trobe Uni, back in 1978, on House Sparrows and
Tree Sparrows. For what it is worth, their social behaviour is not the same (as
each other, I don't mean the same as the ducks' social behaviour).
Philip
-----Original Message----- From:
Tim Dolby <> To:
<> Date:
Monday, 11 September 2000 14:51 Subject: [BIRDING-AUS]
Returning summer migrants to Melbourne wetland
On
the theme of summer migrants - I walked around Banyule Wetlands (Melbourne
Sunday 10th Sept.) for the first time of the 'session'. No Crake, but did
flush a single Latham's Snipe. Other birds of interest included some
'haunting' Little Grassbird, Black-fronted Dotterel, Fan-tailed Cuckoo,
Chestnut and Grey Teal, and numerous Australasian Grebe vigorously staking
out their territory.
While at the wetlands another birdwatcher
wondered up to me and asked me how I distinguished between female Chestnut
Teal and Grey Teal? Easy, I said. The female Chestnut Teal is the one beside
the male Chestnut Teal - very Scientific!
Tim
Tim
Dolby Product Manager RMIT Publishing - RMIT University Tel:
+61 3 9925 8271 Fax: +61 3 9925 8134
http://www.rmitpublishing.com.au
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