birding-aus

Re: Sittellas roosting

To: Graeme S Chapman <>, birding aus <>
Subject: Re: Sittellas roosting
From: Gary Wright <>
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:59:22 +0930
Thanks Graeme-great photographs.  One thing I forgot to mention is that when
a new bird joined, they appeared to hang upside down and touch beaks which
made me think for a while that they must be young, but the birds looked
exactly the same.  I am new to the tropics but I gather breeding is not
until the wet and just post wet, so if that is the case, building bonds for
breeding would not be in the picture.
When you described head down tail up as the final position do you mean as in
your photograph, as I imagined you meant hanging upside down off of the
branch.

Gary

2009/9/14 Graeme S Chapman <>

> Dear Gary,
>
> Roosting birds has always been a pet subject of mine - have a look at my
> website (graemechapman.com.au) under sittellas, Laughing Kookaburra,
> woodswallows, silvereye.
>
> Fairy-wrens line up close together also - there is a superb picture of
> Splendid Fairy-wrens all in a row by a chap called Rogerson from Busselton
> in W.A. unpublished so far as I know.
>
> Your observation of the sittellas is spot-on - a lot of to-iing and fro-ing
> and jostling for positions. The final position is interesting, distinctly
> head down/tail up. This probably has to do with the musculture of their
> legs, it must be a position of rest, after all they spend most of the day
> foraging head downwards.
>
> The species I find most intriguing is the Flock Bronzewing. Despite all the
> people who go chasing them, there is still no description of how or where
> they roost, which will undoubtedly be on the ground.
>
> Cheers
>
> Graeme Chapman
>
>
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