Now that is a funny one. The Magpie-lark is derived from
flycatchers. It is not a magpie or a lark. It could not possibly be derived
from waders because, at the most immediate level, it is a passerine, which
is a long way from being a wader. I suggest we probably don’t see this behaviour
in urban Australia because (apart from Canberra where kangaroos are abundant) we
don’t see kangaroos in urban Australia. The bird you saw was likely either
obtaining insects (food) from the kangaroo, or plucking fur, for a lining to
its nest. Many birds (I believe it is mainly honeyeaters noted for doing this) will
pluck fur from living mammals for their nest but we don’t see that in waders in
Australia largely because those birds don’t breed here (or most don’t). Or the
question is and I have no idea whether waders do this behaviour at all, where
they do breed.
Philip
From: Birding-Aus
[ On Behalf Of Judithla
Sent: Thursday, 2 May, 2019 2:24 AM
To: birding-aus (E-mail)
Subject: [Birding-Aus] Magpie-Lark behaviour
For just a few moments, watching the Kimberley dvd
“Outback”, I saw a Magpie-Lark land on a kangaroo’s back, take a few
steps, then tilt to peck in the fur.
Is there still a question about the evolution /
phylogenetics of this species? Weren’t they thought to have possibly derived
from waders? This is a behaviour we do not see in urban Australia.
--
JudithLA
