Does this baby bird look too big for its nest? That’s because it is!
I had
a quiet afternoon stroll along the bridal trail between Parkerville and
Stoneville yesterday, and there were birds everywhere! Honeyeaters,
wrens, thornbills, parrots, ravens, magpies, whistlers. The air was
alive with their song. As I walked I glanced into nearby shrubs, keeping
my eyes peeled for birds’ nests. And then I spotted this one: a tiny,
domed nest with a side-entrance which I knew straight away belonged to
an Inland Thornbill (Acanthiza apicalis).
When I peered in closer to inspect the nest, I noticed its occupant was
HUGE! And I realised it was a baby Bronze-cuckoo, probably a Shining. I
snapped this photo of it eagerly poking out the entrance awaiting the
next meal, when something amazing happened.
The
cuckoo’s ‘parents’ suddenly appeared and began the most incredible
performance of warning and alarm calls... but what made them amazing was
that they mimicked.
I already knew this species was a clever mimic, but these two
individuals really showed their capabilities when they rattled off the
alarms and songs of about 10 species: Grey Fantail cheep, Yellow-rumped
Thornbill tinkle, Red-capped Parrot squawk, Western Gerygone tweet,
Brown and New Holland Honeyeater trill, Magpie warble, Rufous Whistler
whistle, to name just a few. They really wanted me away from their nest!
What
happened next made this little event even more special. The young
cuckoo, alarmed by his parents’ fuss, thought “That’s it, I’m
fledging!”, and s q u e e z e d
himself out of the nest like a cork out of a bottle! The adult
thornbills then came in to his rescue as he fluttered into the
neighbouring shrub, all the time their persistent mimicking alarm song
filling the air. I snapped a couple of pictures of the newly fledged
‘Cuckoo- Thornbill’ before leaving the birds in peace. The Inlands
finished their song with a couple of brisk cheeps, then preened in
satisfaction of their 10cm forms fending off a 201cm giant!
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