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To all at Birding-aus,
Earlier this month I was birding with Lorna Bloom
of Sydney in elevated rainforest south of Mossman and at one stop we heard a
chestnut-breasted Cuckoo calling nearby. We were fortunate that the bird moved
closer and once under observation realised that it appeared to be more actively
foraging for food than usual.
It was calling more than usual
and initially was mobbed by smaller species.
The cuckoo flew into the head of
a regrowth wattle in clear view. After a couple of minutes an immature landed on
a branch some two metres distant and adjacent to the adult.
The adult immediately feed the
younger bird and flew off. After about two minutes the immature followed the
adult into the forest.
This scenario poses some
questions. I initially heard an adult calling close by on 10/01/05. On 18/03/02
we sighted an adult about 200 metres away (through calling).
Considering the fact
that the hosts to this species would most likely be scrub-wrens or
fairy-wrens I can well imagine that their size differeniation may well mean
that the foster parents run out of energy and resources. To me that makes
sense.
Another consideration is that these
cuckoos forage at higher levels in the forest than their hosts and perhaps this
behavior needs to be reinforced by an adult.
On the Daintree River in
2002 I observed a male Gould's Bronze-cuckoo feeding an immature. It was
obvious that the young was following the adult and we saw the adult back track
along the riverbank to offer food on two ocassions.
It appears that cuckoos may be
more family oriented than we appreciate.
Regards,
Del. Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman,
NQ.
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