So I’m at the Karongwe Game Reserve this week in the Lowveld region (read ‘savanna wildlife mecca’) of the Limpopo Province. I’m doing a couple of guiding assessments to facilitate the process of young recruits joining the safari industry in SA. I must say, so far the game drives have been excellent (*FGASA/Theta you can be proud of your latest additions). This morning we headed out with the intention to look for birds and birding is what we got! Its winter and the veld is rather dry although not completely leafless yet. The air is chilly and bites the tip of your nose as you drive along but it’s magic all the same. I have to keep my binoculars under my jacket so that they don’t mist up each time I lift them to my eyes. The improved visibility from the wilting bush helps with spotting birds especially in the early morning when most species are vying for the sun in the upper-most branches. This morning, the attempts of a pearl-spotted owlet to warm up attracted more than he (or we bargained for). In the tree, about 15 different bird species had gathered to independently chirp their disapproval at the small predator. Of the bullies there was green-winged pytilia, yellow-fronted tinkerbird, Stierlings wren-warbler, yellow-breasted apalis, long-billed crombec, blue waxbills (galore), chin-spot batis, a woodpecker species or two, black-headed oriole, southern black tits and fork-tailed drongo.
This behaviour is known as mobbing and is a tactic used to encourage the raptor to leave the vicinity. The small birds recognize the owlet as a predatory threat (even though peal-spotted owlets eat mainly insects) but are letting the raptor know that it has been spotted and no longer holds any kind of element of surprise to attack the ‘potential prey’.
Birds of different species frequently associate in mixed feeding parties and are found together in what is known as a ‘bird party’. Generally the species in a bird party are predominantly insect eaters and each level or strata of birds feeding in the vegetation, benefits from the activity of the ones above it, dropping or herding insects to one another. A common food resource generally attracts the birds to form mixed parties and in the case of fruiting or flowering trees, not only will the frugivorous and nectarivorous birds be drawn to the location but so too will insects. In turn the insect eating birds arrive (and possibly also predatory ones). While the birds in the higher levels of vegetation move and feed they may knock seeds down to the smaller seed-eaters below. The collective feasting effort of a bird party affords all the birds in the area shared vigilance and they are better able to look out for danger and provide early warning of it (and then take action against it as in the case of the pearl-spotted owlet).
Bird parties are a type of interspecific (between species) allelomimetic behaviour. Allelomimetic behaviour relates to ‘copy-cat’ behaviour practiced predominantly by gregarious bird species. For example blue waxbills form monogamous pairs but during the day they feed together in flocks for greater protection keeping constant contact with each other through high-pitched ‘tswees’. If one bird suddenly flies off, the entire flock will also fly away. As far as bird parties are concerned, one or two birds begin feeding earnestly and other species notice this and join in ‘mimicking’ the original birds behaviour until a large party forms.
*FGASA: stands for the “Field guides association of southern Africa” and is the standards and training regulator for the guiding industry in southern Africa.
Theta: stands for “Tourism, hospitality and sports education training authority” and represents the South African government’s “National Qualifications Framework” in these fields. This framework facilitates the upskilling of people in industry and ensures an appropriate level of competence in the workplace. Once a FGASA / Theta skills program has been achieved, a candidate registers to operate as a guide legally in RSA with DEAT (Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism) (see http://www.fgasa.co.za/ for more info)
This behaviour is known as mobbing and is a tactic used to encourage the raptor to leave the vicinity. The small birds recognize the owlet as a predatory threat (even though peal-spotted owlets eat mainly insects) but are letting the raptor know that it has been spotted and no longer holds any kind of element of surprise to attack the ‘potential prey’.
Birds of different species frequently associate in mixed feeding parties and are found together in what is known as a ‘bird party’. Generally the species in a bird party are predominantly insect eaters and each level or strata of birds feeding in the vegetation, benefits from the activity of the ones above it, dropping or herding insects to one another. A common food resource generally attracts the birds to form mixed parties and in the case of fruiting or flowering trees, not only will the frugivorous and nectarivorous birds be drawn to the location but so too will insects. In turn the insect eating birds arrive (and possibly also predatory ones). While the birds in the higher levels of vegetation move and feed they may knock seeds down to the smaller seed-eaters below. The collective feasting effort of a bird party affords all the birds in the area shared vigilance and they are better able to look out for danger and provide early warning of it (and then take action against it as in the case of the pearl-spotted owlet).
Bird parties are a type of interspecific (between species) allelomimetic behaviour. Allelomimetic behaviour relates to ‘copy-cat’ behaviour practiced predominantly by gregarious bird species. For example blue waxbills form monogamous pairs but during the day they feed together in flocks for greater protection keeping constant contact with each other through high-pitched ‘tswees’. If one bird suddenly flies off, the entire flock will also fly away. As far as bird parties are concerned, one or two birds begin feeding earnestly and other species notice this and join in ‘mimicking’ the original birds behaviour until a large party forms.
*FGASA: stands for the “Field guides association of southern Africa” and is the standards and training regulator for the guiding industry in southern Africa.
Theta: stands for “Tourism, hospitality and sports education training authority” and represents the South African government’s “National Qualifications Framework” in these fields. This framework facilitates the upskilling of people in industry and ensures an appropriate level of competence in the workplace. Once a FGASA / Theta skills program has been achieved, a candidate registers to operate as a guide legally in RSA with DEAT (Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism) (see http://www.fgasa.co.za/ for more info)
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