Cassowary House, Kuranda, Far North Queensland
Some strange Cassowary behaviours still going on, with the chicks
still associating with the female, two of them coming in with her
again this morning. A single chick was here yesterday and the pair of
adult birds attempted to mate below our veranda, but I think the
peeping of the chick may have put them off as the male went to drive
it away. The chick then sat down in a bed of gingers and put its head
down so low as to appear almost neckless, which seemed to be a
submission posture as the male just gave it a couple of cursory pecks
and then left it alone.I
It stayed sat in this odd pose for about 20 minutes, the male
sometimes coming back as it peeped softly, but each time leaving it
alone after brief pecks. The female meantime totally ignored the
chick. I had not noted this submission posture before in 10 years of
observations of these birds. though Sue has seen it quite often,
sometimes with the chick's head flat along the ground.
Today the male was here poking about, and a Brush-turkey began
pecking amongst his drooping rear feathers, presumably after insects
or ticks maybe. The chicks sometimes do this, but I was surprised the
male tolerated this presumptuous behaviour from a Brush-turkey as
usually they get short shrift if they are too close.
White-eared Monarch is calling well below the house along the stream
valley, there are loads of Barred Cuckoo-shrikes about, but few fig-
parrots. Black Butcherbirds have been coming in most days, but today
just after they arrived something spooked one of them and it gave the
loud quite gruff "kor kor kor" alarm note, which made both of them
shoot off immediately, clearly a very effective warning call.
Phil Gregory
www.cassowary-house.com.au
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