FW: Melbourne Koel

Oh, I see Rod’s message (with my comments) also went to birding-aus. So now I need to send my message to B-A also. I wanted the conversation private, until my initial thoughts could be properly developed. I wish people would ask about forwarding private messages publicly, before doing so. Even so, for now I think my comments are reasonable. About the Channel-billed Cuckoo chicks. My comment was not about that species (yes I used the word “cuckoo” so I have been caught out for being too inclusive).  HANZAB reveals that Channel-billed Cuckoo chicks don’t usually eject host chicks (but out compete them) also that they may have multiple cuckoo eggs in the one nest. So yes, not all cuckoos are the same in their parasitism behaviour.

 

I have deleted some repetition in forwarding this message.

 

Philip

 

 

Hi Philip,

We had a nest near my house last year with two Channel-billed chicks in it. Both were fed by a pair of Pied Currawongs and both fledged. Perhaps cuckoos recognise other cuckoo eggs somehow & don’t heave them out of the nest?

 

From Jenny Stiles

 

From: Philip Veerman [Oh, I see Rod’s message (with my comments) also went to birding-aus. So now I need to send my message to B-A also. I wanted the conversation private, until my initial thoughts could be properly developed. I wish people would ask about forwarding private messages publicly, before doing so. Even so, for now I think my comments are reasonable. About the Channel-billed Cuckoo chicks. My comment was not about that species (yes I used the word “cuckoo” so I have been caught out for being too inclusive).  HANZAB reveals that Channel-billed Cuckoo chicks don’t usually eject host chicks (but out compete them) also that they may have multiple cuckoo eggs in the one nest. So yes, not all cuckoos are the same in their parasitism behaviour.

 

I have deleted some repetition in forwarding this message.

 

Philip

 

 

Hi Philip,

We had a nest near my house last year with two Channel-billed chicks in it. Both were fed by a pair of Pied Currawongs and both fledged. Perhaps cuckoos recognise other cuckoo eggs somehow & don’t heave them out of the nest?

 

From Jenny Stiles

 

Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Melbourne Koel

 

Philip,

Dug through my pics and found some of the juvenile Koels.

In the third pic there is one at the top and one at the bottom, and in the first one it looks like one is preening the other one.

Only one Red wattle Bird in the second however…..

 

Kind Regards,

 

Rod Mackay

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           p  +61  02 4950 5706    m  +61 041 96333 45

                 www.ramackayboating.com.au

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From: Philip Veerman <pveerman@pcug.org.au&gt; Sent: Sunday, 10 November 2019 11:35 PM     To: sales@ramackayboating.com.au
Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Melbourne Koel

 

OK. I would need to think about that. Seems very strange, as cuckoos will only have one chick per nest. Because cuckoo chicks will kill any other chick in the nest. How would two juvenile Koels get together? It must mean two separate nests were nearby that strangely the chicks have perched together. So by rights there should have been four wattlebirds attending them.

 

Philip

 

From: sales@ramackayboating.com.au [sales@ramackayboating.com.au] Sent: Sunday, 10 November, 2019 9:28 PM            To: ‘Philip Veerman’
Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Melbourne Koel

 

There were probably two, but I only saw the one red wattlebird at the time.

The juvenile Koels were already out of the nest and perched together on a tree branch when the wattle bird flew in with some food for them.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Rod Mackay

 

From: Philip Veerman <pveerman@pcug.org.au> Sent: Monday, 28 October 2019 10:56 PM        To: sales@ramackayboating.com.au               Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Melbourne Koel

 

Are you telling us that ONE red wattlebird was feeding two juvenile Koels? Or could this be two red wattlebirds.

In Canberra where Koels have only occurred in the last 20 years, they are now a common breeder and only use red wattlebirds.

 

Philip