birding-aus

Honeyeater toilet habits

To: "Niven" <>, "birding aus" <>
Subject: Honeyeater toilet habits
From: "Philip A. Veerman" <>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 22:10:49 +1000
I think it is likely to be the mirror effect, ie the stress at seeing their reflection, combined with what (as I recall from uni days half my life ago), mouse biologists called "open field emotionality". That is when they are excited or nervous, they poo a lot. The Superb Fairy-wrens I had breeding in my yard did exactly the same thing on my blue Land Rover (even in the dark carport) or a visiting white sedan.
Philip 
-----Original Message-----
From: Niven <>
To: m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");"> <m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");">>
Date: Tuesday, 20 March 2001 23:40
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Honeyeater toilet habits

Hi all
for quite some time (many months) now I've had Rufous-banded
Honeyeaters 'soiling' my car. Birds perch on the external rear view
mirrors and then leave their droppings. Today, one seemed as if it
were waiting for me to get home - little sooner than I'd shut my door
after getting out of the car, one was sitting on the mirror. A few
minutes after it was doing its droppings, almost as if it had waited
all day for me.
My question is, why is this happening? When perched on the
mirror, the birds look a little as if they may be checking the place
for insects, but this doesn't last long. They look a little as if they're
interested in their reflection but this doesn't last long either. It really
seems the main thing they're doing is using my car for a toilet. Any
comments?

Happy birding & turding
Niven

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