Recently, at Sharp Park near Canungra in SEQ, Perth birder Mark Newman I saw a Platypus and a Little-black Cormorant feeding together in what appeared to be a cooperative manner. Whilst on the surface they were side by side with their bodies touching. The Cormorant gently pecked the Platypus on the tail and repeatedly ducked its head under the water next to the Platypus’s head as if encouraging the Platypus to dive. When they dived they did so in unison. The Cormorant surfaced on average twice to the Platypus one but as soon as they were both on the surface the Cormorant immediately swam to the Platypus, never the other way around. Both animals were feeding successfully as they always had food in their mouths when they surfaced. I assume the Cormorant was feeding on creatures disturbed by the Platypus but I’m sure it wasn’t just taking advantage of the Platypus being there, it was actively encouraging the Platypus to dive. The Platypus showed no signs of being disturbed by the Cormorant. Whether or not it dived as a response to the Cormorants ‘encouragement’ is impossible to say. We watched this behaviour for about 10-15 minutes. Has anyone else even seen similar behaviour? Regards, Barry Davies, Beechmont SEQ
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I saw exactly the same thing just a couple of weeks ago in Eungella National Park, Queensland. It was amazing, and as you say looks like the platypus and cormoran (this time a white one) knew each other perfectly well. Your description fits exactly with what I saw so I won’t describe it again. In any case, I can imagine the cormorant benefits from the fish the platypus disturbed, but cannot make sense for what the platypus gets from the relationship…
Cheers,
Javier
I have seen little pied cormorants and white-faced herons dive for fish behind a platypus in Running Creek (Southeast Queensland, near Rathdowney) and often see azure kingfishers and cormorants keeping an eye on the platypus, but have not seen anything that looks cooperative, and the platypus has sometimes seemed quite startled by the birds’ actions (and possibly with reason, as both cormorants and herons have dived from above rather than from a position within the water, and there are often white-bellied seas eagles around)
Ronda Green, BSc(Hons) PhD Araucaria Ecotours http://www.learnaboutwildlife.com platypuscorner@bigpond.com ph 61 7 5544 1283 Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AraucariaEcotours
Chair Wildlife Tourism Australia: http://wildlifetourism.org.au Chair Scenic Rim Wildlife: http://scenicrim.wildlife.org.au/ Honorary research fellow Griffith University
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In Britain I saw a dabbling duck following a diving duck (from memory it was Common Teal following Tufted Duck) feeding on invertebrates and plant material brought to the surface by the diving ducks activities on the bottom of the pond. My interpretation was this was opportunistic on the part of the dabbling ducks and the diving ducks seemed annoyed by the others following them.
John Leonard
Barry, Burnett (1996: Sunbird 26(3) 76-8) reported on a feeding association between an Azure Kingfisher and a Platypus. He made a very brief and incomplete review of feeding associations of birds (raptors) with mammals and machines in Aus. This did not include any ‘encouragement behaviour’. It would take quite a bit of work to review, but the ‘encouragement behaviour’ of the junior partner in a feeding association is likely to be extremely rare and possibly unique.
Sent: Wednesday, 27 April 2011 11:15 AM
Recently, at Sharp Park near Canungra in SEQ, Perth birder Mark Newman I saw a Platypus and a Little-black Cormorant feeding together in what appeared to be a cooperative manner. Whilst on the surface they were side by side with their bodies touching. The Cormorant gently pecked the Platypus on the tail and repeatedly ducked its head under the water next to the Platypus’s head as if encouraging the Platypus to dive. When they dived they did so in unison. The Cormorant surfaced on average twice to the Platypus one but as soon as they were both on the surface the Cormorant immediately swam to the Platypus, never the other way around. Both animals were feeding successfully as they always had food in their mouths when they surfaced. I assume the Cormorant was feeding on creatures disturbed by the Platypus but I’m sure it wasn’t just taking advantage of the Platypus being there, it was actively encouraging the Platypus to dive. The Platypus showed no signs of being disturbed by the Cormorant. Whether or not it dived as a response to the Cormorants ‘encouragement’ is impossible to say. We watched this behaviour for about 10-15 minutes. Has anyone else even seen similar behaviour? Regards, Barry Davies, Beechmont SEQ
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