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Gang-gang online News from the Canberra Ornithologists Group Inc. |
Contents |
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| Field trip details and reports are available here. | |
| |
Gang-gang online News from the Canberra Ornithologists Group Inc. |
Contents |
|
| Field trip details and reports are available here. | |
Dear Editor
Why do birds sharpen their beaks?
Wondering of Kambah (October 2003)
Dear Wondering of Kambah
I apologise for the delay in responding to your very interesting question. After a lot of digging I believe that I have now found an answer.
The behaviour that you describe as ‘sharpening’, is known in behavioural ecology circles as ‘bill (or beak) wiping’ and is when a bird rubs its bill on a branch or other such substrate in a characteristic manner. Bill wiping is an innate, rather than a learned, behaviour and is believed to have more than one function.
Bill-wiping is most often observed during or after feeding. Behavioural ecologists believe that it is performed by the bird to indicate to other birds that it has finished eating and is no longer a competitor for food. Aviculturists add that the action is simply to dislodge something stuck to the bill.
In one of the only published studies into the function of bill wiping, Cuthill et al. (1992) found that it also seems to be a means of keeping the beak trimmed to the right length. In the study, starlings given only smooth surfaces, such as perches wrapped in linen, engaged in bill-wiping more often than the birds given rough surfaces to wipe their beaks on. The birds with the smooth surfaces developed overgrown beaks, which the birds with the rough surfaces did not.
Bill-wiping has also been observed being performed in situations not linked to feeding. Sometimes animals in conflict situations show behaviours that seem totally irrelevant or inappropriate to any of the conflicting tendencies. These are known as displacement behaviours. Bill-wiping as a displacement behaviour is commonly observed in flushed birds immediately after they alight on a perch. It has also been observed in courtship situations.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the behaviour in question is (was) known as ‘feaking’. The origin of "feak" (or "feek") is the German word "fegen," meaning "to cleanse or sweep." The term "feak" first appeared in English back around 1575 and has always been primarily associated with falconry, as illustrated by this quotation from a 1686 explanation of the proper falconry terms: "When she [your Hawk] hath Fed, say she Feaketh her Beak and not wipeth it."
Kind regards, Tanya (aka the Editor)
References
Cuthill I, Witter M & Clarke L . 1992. The function of bill-wiping, Animal Behavior 43, pp43-115.
Robinson S.R. 2001. Taxonomic distribution and evolution of avian bill-wiping behavior. Animal Behavior Society, Corvallis, OR, July 2001.
Please send letters, snippets etcetera intended for this column to the editor. Contact details are on page 16 of this Gang-gang. As with all sections of the Gang-gang, space allocated to this section each month will be limited. Therefore entries are more likely to be published if they are kept to a minimum length.
The COG Committee met for the first time this year on 21 January 2004 and considered, amongst other more routine business matters, the following items. If any COG member would like more information on any of the issues outlined, please contact the nominated Committee member.
Environment ACT's Integrated Nature Conservation Plan website: COG will discuss with EACT the possibility of including COG information on threatened species.
A Birds Australia proposal for a pocket guide to the birds of the ACT: in principle support, but further information and costings required.
Request for assistance from consultants working on a revised Plan of Management for Jerrabomberra Wetlands.
Results of our nominations of threatened birds to the ACT Flora and Fauna Committee: of the eight species COG nominated, two – White-winged Triller and Varied Sittella – were deemed to satisfy the criteria for declaration as vulnerable. Action Plans for these species will be incorporated into the Woodland Conservation Strategy currently being prepared by Environment ACT. Four other species - Diamond Firetail, Flame Robin, Dusky Woodswallow and Crested Shrike-tit – have been allocated to a watching brief. In view of the importance of building up more comprehensive data on these species, COG urges all members to report all sightings of them, on the relevant datasheets.
COG will be running a special raffle at the February and March meetings. Tickets will be $2 each and the prize will be The New Atlas of Australian Birds, kindly donated by Malcolm Fyfe. There will be a draw for other book prizes at the February meeting, but all tickets will be re-entered into the main draw. So here's your chance to win your copy of this very valuable book which contains the latest distribution maps (4,000 for over 650 bird species, including seasonal changes and breeding range). Change maps are also presented for 250 species that were more or less common since the first Atlas of Australian Birds was completed 20 years ago.
On the conservation front, see Conservation Matters later in this Gang-gang.
COG is exploring the development of an Internet-based information management system for COG data, including online entry and retrieval. For comment or further information, contact David McDonald.
Garden Bird Survey news: Mark Clayton has had to step down as GBS coordinator, due to pressure of work. Martin Butterfield has been appointed to the position and will be available to assist aspiring surveyors or to discuss issues with long-term contributors. As with other COG officebearers with access to COG data, Martin has agreed in writing to COG's terms and conditions for its use.
Barbara Allan, secretary
The final version of the above is included as a separate leaflet in February's Gang-gang (viewed online under Trips, or available as a download PDF file here).
I had little feedback or comment on the draft published in the November Gang-gang. As advised then the formal program is basically arranged around two outings per month, the first a local one and the second a longer day/overnight trip a bit further afield, plus the usual events on long weekends. This leaves the flexibility for the organisation of some opportunistic outings, as occurred during 2003.
Many thanks to Noel Luff for offering to organise and lead the COG Easter long weekend event at Yathong Nature Reserve, preliminary details of which are contained in this issue of Gang-gang.
As indicated, leaders are still needed for several outings. If you can help with these or have any other offers of places to go and/or lead, please contact Jack Holland (6288 7840 AH or by E-mail on jack.holland@deh.gov.au).
Note that David Rees will be helping to manage the field trips program in 2004.
Jack Holland, president
Postscript to Report of Brown Treecreeper at Gooroo
(December/January Gang-gang)
I am pleased to report that the Brown Treecreeper which I discovered at southern Gooroo on 30 October was still there when Julie McGuiness and I did a walk through the full length of the proposed reserve on 29 November (with permission from Environment ACT and the lessees). We spent some time at this spot on the southern boundary trying to see if there was a pair breeding, and there certainly was one bird in and around a hollow in a large tree near a small dam; but we did not manage to see two birds at the same time - from the behaviour of the bird seen, I strongly suspect there was another bird on a nest. As I described in the last Gang-gang report, this bird is utilising an area of degraded woodland with many dead and fallen trees. Several hectares, in fact half of the area, is outside the reserve boundary where houses are proposed; this seems to be the most suitable Brown Treecreeper habitat in this huge reserve, as elsewhere there is little dead and fallen timber which this species relies on. We also recorded a Diamond Firetail and Southern Whiteface at the Brown Treecreeper site. A male Hooded Robin carrying food near one of the COG monitoring sites and three pairs of White-winged Trillers were other highlights. Finally, I was delighted to find some Drooping Casuarina on the hills at Gooroo (I had not seen this on the earlier visit) – more specifically its Allocasuarina verticullata. There are several isolated mature trees, plus at least two patches of trees, some with younger plants – it occurs to be that it would be ideal to encourage more regeneration of these trees as part of the management of the new reserve. What a headline in 15-20 years – Glossies at Gooroo!
Jenny Bounds
Dr Chris Tidemann, the ANU zoologist who is running the ‘Minimising Mynas’ research project in conjunction with COG and Environment ACT, has now received funding and will be ready to commence the project in the next month or so. The Minimising Mynas project involves positioning Myna traps in a small number of backyards in northern Canberra, with monitoring of bird numbers and roosts before and after the trapping period. If any COG members wish to be involved with monitoring please contact Julie McGuiness at julie.mcguiness@bigpond.com or 6231 9882 (h) (those who put their names forward last year need not do so again – we will be contacting you soon).
COG has submitted input into the Draft Variation to the Territory Plan No 209 ‘Extension of Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve’. The variation will allow 66 ha of woodland to be incorporated into the Reserve. This is the last official opportunity to convey our opinion that all of the O’Malley woodland should be protected for conservation reasons.
A focus of COG’s conservation work remains North Gungahlin. The exact borders of the new Gooroo Nature Reserve are still to be determined. We are working with the Conservation Council to ensure that the new Nature Reserve has the most ecologically-sound borders, that buffer areas around the reserve are adequate and that known threatened species habitat is incorporated into the Reserve. COG members will have seen in the Canberra Times or heard on radio before Xmas the public release of the discussion paper ‘Options for the Protection of Sensitive Fauna in Mulligans Flat and Gooroo Nature Reserves from the Impacts of Domestic Cats’. We had hoped to influence the Government to provide adequate buffer areas between any new suburban development and the reserves, but this is unlikely to happen to our satisfaction. In view of these extraordinary circumstances, the Committee has recently written to Jon Stanhope expressing support for the Conservation Council's position advocating that the soon to be developed suburbs of Forde and Bonner be designated a cat-free zone.
The draft ‘Management Plan for Mt Jerrabomberra’ near Queanbeyan is on public exhibition till early February. COG has put in a submission outlining the known bird species that have been found in the area and their habitat requirements, and requested that this information be taken into consideration in developing the final Plan.
COG has also made a short submission to the Federal Environment Minister regarding planned industrial development proposals for the Kooragang Island area in Newcastle. This is an internationally-important wader site, and we are supporting the work of the Hunter Bird Observers to have the environmental attributes of the Hunter estuary adequately recognised and the proposed development moved from this site.
COG has been contacted by consultants working on cultural, community planning and community values for the new Kingston Foreshores development. They are seeking comments or anecdotes, from people who have used the Foreshore area for recreation, about the values to individuals that need to be preserved or augmented. COG will provide information about the avifaunal values of the Lake in the Kingston area, as well as Molonglo Reach and Jerrebomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve that abut the Foreshore. In addition, any COG member who has personal knowledge of the Foreshore area that they might like to impart to the consultants should contact Julie McGuiness. A focus group meeting has been convened for February 17th.
Spotted Turtle-doves in the ACT. Environment ACT and COG agreed about 18 months ago to monitor the occurrence of STDs, particularly breeding events, with a view to developing a management plan, if required, to halt their establishment in the ACT. We are about to evaluate the data from the last few years, and this is a reminder to those members who have any unreported records of STDs to please submit them now on a regular COG record sheet.
Julie McGuiness, Jenny Bounds
Conservation Officers
THANK YOU - Early morning walks during Australian Ornithological Conference
A big thanks to Mike Double, Golo Maurer, Michael Lenz, Harvey Perkins, Rick Kuhn, Tom Green, Janet Gardner, Malcolm Fyfe and Louise Muir for offering to help with these walks.
Unfortunately, except for the Saturday these were relatively poorly attended. However, any disappointment was more than made up for by the discovery of a Satin Bowerbird feeding young in a nest in the Botanic Gardens.
Jack Holland
Found Jacket Found Jacket
A very light dark navy blue jacket (size M) was left on the early boat trip up the Molonglo River on Sunday 14 December. If you have lost this please contact Jack Holland (6288 7840 AH or by E-mail on jack.holland@deh.gov.au) so that arrangements can be made to return it to you.
Two Birds Australia Conferences in early 2004
BIRDS AUSTRALIA – SOUTHERN NSW & ACT BRANCH
Scientific Day and Annual General Meeting
Saturday 3 April 2004 1.30-5 pm
“THREATENED NEW SOUTH WALES PARROTS & COCKATOOS”
Norman Nock Theatre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney
Registration: Members $25, students/concessions $20, non members $30
***
BIRDS AUSTRALIA
Members Day and Annual General Meeting
Saturday 29 May 2004
9 am to 5.30 pm
General purpose Building, Callaghan Campus, University of Newcastle, Jesmond
Conferences Themes: “Managing the lower Hunter Valley Wetlands for Waterbirds” and “Birds Australia : Achievements & Future Directions”
Conference Dinner University at 7 pm
Registration: Members $50, Students/Concessions $40, Non-members $60
Dinner $40
Estuary Boat Tours, Swansea Pelagic Trip & Bus Tours to Important Wetlands Planned
Jointly organised & sponsored by SNAG & the Hunter Bird Observers Club
***
For further information contact Lise Hobcroft, Birds Australia (SNAG)
Phone: 02 9436 0388
Fax: 02 9436 0466
Email: rosella63@bigpond.com
***
“One of the greatest environmental challenges facing humanity in the future will be the integration of conservation with production in the same landscape…..â€
“Who’s a Pretty Boy then?†Parrots and Cockatoos in NSW and beyond…
Parrots and Cockatoos are among Australia’s iconic species and yet while some populations increase others are threatened with extinction. This seminar will look at some of the issues affecting the parrots and cockatoos of NSW.
Discussion will include:
population trends and their meaning
case studies: Superb, Swift and Night Parrots
management strategies and the role of the volunteer
the integration of conservation with production in our landscapes.
Australian Museum
University of Canberra
NSW Dept of Environment and Conservation
NSW Dept of Environment and Conservation
Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, ANU
Associate Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald
CONCLUDING SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION:
Chair: Professor Henry Nix National President, Birds Australia.
WHERE: Norman Nock Lecture Theatre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Pacific Highway, St Leonards, 2065
WHEN: Saturday 3rd April, 2004 commencing at 1.30 p.m.
COST: Birds Australia Members: $25, Non-members $30, Students/concessions $20
CONTACT: Birds Australia Sydney Office:
Registrations and payment must be received by the 29th March, 2004. Receipts will be issued at the seminar.
Sketch of Superb Parrot reproduced with thanks to the Birds Australia New Atlas of Australian Birds
Proudly sponsored by the Wildlife Preservation Society.
AvIan Whimsy # 17
Snipe’s Latham
I was ruminating recently, as I am wont to do, in a hide at Kelly’s Swamp. (And it’s OK, I’d stop doing it if you entered the hide!) Of course I always wonder at the extraordinary concept of this 200 gram bird flying and navigating some 10,000km every year, changing habitat entirely from the sub-Arctic meadows and fir forests of its breeding grounds to the swamps of eastern Australia. But that’s a story whose wonder I’m sure we all share and I know you’re familiar with it. I was thinking more about the connection of this remarkable bird with the energetic English ornithologist, John Latham, whose name the bird unwittingly and unwillingly bears.
He was a successful doctor whose passion was natural history and especially birds. He died in 1837 at the age of 96. He is sometimes described as the greatest ornithologist of his time, but he was probably not that. He was however assiduous and dedicated, and lived at just the right time to make the first significant contribution to Australian ornithology. He was at the height of his career when Cook was making his voyages of discovery and when the first specimens and illustrations were being sent back from the fledgling colony. Banks lent him drawings from all the Cook expeditions, which he then copied! He also had access to works by early colonial artists including Thomas Watling, via the collection of botanist Aylmer Lambert.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1775, even before his major publications, and in 1788 was a moving force behind the formation of the influential Linnaean Society. The latter was a bit ironic, because it was his reluctance to embrace the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature that represented the major weakness in his earlier works. In his great General Synopsis of Birds (1781-85), which he also illustrated, he opted for the old non-system of arbitrary common names; he basically disapproved of Latin and couldn’t see the point of the new consistency. As a result the honour of describing those species fell to later workers, using his work but assigning scientific names. In his later works, Index Ornithologicus (1791, plus later supplement) and A General History of Birds (1821-28), he did fall into line with modern requirements and described a number of well-known Australian species, including the Emu, Cape Barren and Magpie Geese, Black Swan, White-necked Heron, Wedgie, Common Bronzewing, Suphur-crested Cocky, Tawny Frogmouth, Superb Lyrebird, Noisy Friarbird, Noisy Miner, Eastern Spinebill, Willie Wagtail, Magpie-Lark, Magpie – and some 45 others!
In turn he was honoured with a single-species genus (Lathamus, the Swift Parrot) and two impressive species – the Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami, and the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhyncus lathami.
However, Latham’s Snipe was not one of them; as far as I can determine it was never lathami. It is Gallinago hardwickii – basically, Hardwick’s chook… Hardwick, I am told, was the Tasmanian collector who provided the first specimen, but I can find nothing else about him. In searching for him I came across the tracks of Bob Forsyth of Mt Isa who had also apparently failed in the attempt last year, so I’ve put that quest aside. I have no idea how or why Latham scored the common name; why not Hardwick’s Snipe?
Not that the snipe care – they’ve got plenty of problems of their own. Did you know that a sniper was originally a courageous fellow who shot snipe on the wing, for entertainment?
So, you’ve read all the way to here in the hope of finding enlightenment – and there is none. Life’s like that; better get back out to Kelly’s and just enjoy the birds…
[Reminder – any suggestions for a Whimsy topic are welcomed.]
Ian Fraser
ianf@pcug.org.au
Latham’s Snipe
(Gallinago hardwickii)
Photo courtesy Ian Fraser
Rebecca Clark, Garran
David and Judith Harvey, Hawker
Sandy Gilmore, O’Connor
Penny Hebbard, Hughes
Fiona MacDonald-Brand, Lyneham
Simon Buckpitt, Queanbeyan
Janene Luff, Avalon Beach
