“This male Dark-necked Tailorbird (Orthotomus atrogularis atrogularis) and I have met many times at the same location – he occupies an area of about 1.5 km radius at this particular spot in the forest reserve (could be my fancy but never fail to meet him and birds tend to be rather localised/territorial).

“I had been watching some birds feeding in a ficus tree and turned to find him immediately on my left. I startled him briefly and he gave a series of concerned calls. Allowed me to takes some close up pictures, with him all fluffed up and concerned. Then want back to his usual behaviour, preening & foraging.

“As I watched, I discovered he was looking after a juvenile, hence the concern at my close presence. Generally a very friendly bird who allows close observation.”

An audio recording of his ‘concern’ call can be heard HERE.

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
9th February 2010

“Three Ashy Minivets (Pericrocotus divaricatus divaricatus) as part of a mixed foraging party of a pair of Dark-necked Tailorbird (Orthotomus atrogularis atrogularis), Olive-winged Bulbuls (Pycnonotus plumosus plumosus), and others (got distracted by Miniverts and missed the rest - possibly Crimson and Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds and Green Ioras).

“The three Ashy Minivets were all of immature plumage (first winter or moulting females) (above left). They moved off from the rest of the group and allowed close viewing. Were foraging intently for caterpillars and other insects (above right). All three were feeding independently.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh
Perak, Malaysia
9th February 2010

For Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), courtship starts with the male arriving at the nesting area. He collects nesting materials, either for a new nest or to repair an old one (above left). While defending his site from other males, he tries to attract a female. Once a female responds, bonding will begin with courtship. There will be stretching of necks and bill pointing skywards (above right). Nuptial plumes and brightly coloured bare parts will be displayed. Mutual preening also occurs, so will bill clapping and loud squawking. Another common display is when one lifts up its wings, draws back its neck and pecks at the other bird.

Following courtship, the herons will proceed to nest building. The male brings nesting materials while the female does the construction. Copulation usually follows when the male mounts the female and precariously balances on her back, using his outstretched wings for balance (above).

According to Mike Tan, “The Grey Herons here started looking ready to mate around July this year (2009) when their legs and bills turn reddish. By August the birds have completed bonding.

“It is also comical to see Grey Herons landing at the wrong nest only to chased off. Apparently there is some authentication. Some password, if you will?”

John Vickerman adds, “Another great series of pictures from you recording your observations of nest behaviour. The mutual preening behaviour consolidates the pair bond, and probably the landing at another pair’s nest may well have had more sinister intentions such as stealing a few twigs for their own nest building - easy pickings if you can get away with it!”

“When seeing a tree full of nests, I was naive to think that all will mate, hatch, fledge at the same time. Well, it doesn’t quite happen that way. Some will be mating, others sitting on their eggs, yet others raising their chicks. All under one roof, so to speak,” adds Mike.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

“There was a light drizzle around my area this afternoon. Bee-eaters frequent my place at this time of year and I found two of them very funnily ‘frozen’ on an aerial attenaa, with tail feathers and wings spread out. Was wondering if they were taking in the drizzle?” wrote Meibao on 10th February 2010.

Were the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) enjoying the drizzle? Most probably they were simply sunning themselves during the slight drizzle. These birds are fond of spreading their wings and tail feathers to expose them to the sun as a form of feather maintenance.

In an earlier post on the Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus peninsulae) (left), we provided an image of the raptor standing on one leg. This raised questions on why birds stand on one leg and whether it is a common practice.

“Why do birds stand on one leg?” has been a recurring question among birdwatchers for a very long time.

According to Evans & Heiser (2004), birds tuck one foot close to their bellies to keep warm on a chilly day. After all, the legs of most birds are not covered with feathers and they have been shown to be important sites of heat exchange (Steen & Steen, 1965). Other ways of conserving heat include tucking the bill into the feathers of the shoulder, fluffing their feathers to increase the air space and roosting close together.

However, the fact that birds also stand on one leg under warm conditions means that thermoregulation is not the only function.

And while standing on one leg, these birds continue to rest, preen or sleep.

Check out our earlier post on the Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) standing on one leg HERE.

References:
1. Evans, H. E. & J. B. Heiser, 2004. What’s inside: Anatomy and physiology. In: Podulka, S., R. W. Rohrbaugh Jr & R. Bonney (eds.), Handbook of bird biology. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. Pp. 4.1-4.162.
2. Steen I & J. B. Steen, 1965. The importance of the legs in the thermoregulation of birds. Acta physiol. scand. 63: 285-291.