Stray Feathers: Reflections on the Structure, Behaviour and Evolution of Birds

Contents......Page 5
Foreword......Page 4
Preface......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Introduction: watching birds......Page 13
Anatomy and physiology......Page 18
Light, compact skeleton: Budgerigar......Page 19
Rigid yet flexible skulls: Budgerigar, Rainbow Lorikeet and Great Knot......Page 20
Interlude: Form refl ects function, but can mislead about evolution......Page 21
Monster-mouth insect trap: White-throated Nightjar......Page 22
Scoop bill: Australian Pelican......Page 23
A diversity of beaks: bowerbirds......Page 24
Boy bills and girl bills: rifl ebirds and Trumpet Manucode......Page 25
Interlude: Evolution of birds’ bills......Page 26
A loaded spring: Australasian Darter......Page 27
Complex respiratory system: Budgerigar......Page 28
Efficient digestive system: Budgerigar......Page 29
Water saver: Emu......Page 30
Oil powered: storm-petrels......Page 31
The salt shedder: White-faced Storm-Petrel......Page 32
Brain power: goose......Page 33
The senses......Page 36
Sense organs: Budgerigar......Page 37
Seeing double: Tawny Frogmouth......Page 38
By the light of the moon: Letter-winged Kite......Page 40
Silent night hunters: barn owls......Page 42
Interlude: Evolution of many traits for one purpose......Page 43
Sight and sonar: Australian Swiftlet......Page 44
Seeing through the mud: Great Knot......Page 45
The smell of the sea: shearwaters and storm-petrels......Page 46
Interlude: Th e sensory world of birds – more than meets the eye......Page 47
Giving voice......Page 50
Sophisticated syrinxes: Budgerigar, ducks and geese......Page 51
Built-in bagpipes: Magpie Goose and Trumpet Manucode......Page 54
The air drummer: Emu......Page 55
A sound-sensing helmet? Southern Cassowary......Page 56
The roarer: the Australian Bustard......Page 57
Tongues talking......Page 60
Nectar straws: honeyeaters, silvereyes and sunbirds......Page 61
Brush tongued: Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater......Page 63
Sweet tongued: Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets......Page 64
Fork tongued: Rufous and Black-tailed Treecreepers......Page 66
Shelling seed: parrots......Page 67
A quick drink: Red-capped Parrot and Rainbow Lorikeet......Page 68
Plumage......Page 70
Flexible feathers: Budgerigar......Page 71
Featherlight: Crimson Rosella......Page 72
A diversity of feathers: Budgerigar......Page 74
Feathers are better than fur: Emu......Page 75
Looking after feathers: Budgerigar......Page 76
Hung out to dry: cormorants and darters......Page 77
Blending into the background: Spotted Nightjar and Tawny Frogmouth......Page 79
Don’t mess with me! Australian Painted Snipe, Eastern Barn Owl and Spotted Nightjar......Page 81
Creating a diversion: Bush Stone-curlew......Page 83
Pluck a duck: Pink-eared Duck .......Page 84
The secrets of cryptic chicks: shorebirds......Page 85
Something in the silhouette: various parrots and raptors......Page 87
Getting around......Page 90
No-flap flight: albatrosses......Page 91
Water wings: Little Penguin......Page 92
Going up, going down: Brown Treecreeper and Varied Sittella......Page 93
Th e marathon runner: Emu......Page 95
Swimming on land: Short-tailed Shearwater......Page 96
A gripping tale: Purple Swamphen......Page 97
What’s in a foot? stilts and avocet......Page 98
Furtive traveller: Buff -banded Rail......Page 99
Migration and speciation: Australian and Oriental Pratincoles......Page 100
Finding and handling food......Page 104
A built-in broom: Chowchilla......Page 105
Vice-like grip: Wedge-tailed Eagle......Page 107
Tension and spin: Grey Phalarope......Page 108
Stand-over merchants: Great Skua and Arctic Skua......Page 109
Unsavoury habits: Black-faced Sheathbill......Page 110
Burly burley seekers: albatrosses......Page 111
Variations on a theme: storm-petrels......Page 113
Interlude: Thinking about the oceans as environments – parallels with more familiar terrestrial habitats......Page 114
Feeling food: Straw-necked Ibis and Royal Spoonbill......Page 116
Striking stalker: Black-necked Stork......Page 117
Multi-purpose snake charmer: Brown Falcon......Page 118
The twitchers: Spangled Drongo, Satin Flycatcher, Willie Wagtail and Magpie-lark......Page 119
A wagging tale: Willie Wagtail......Page 120
Optimising foraging and feeding......Page 124
Putting your best foot forward: Crimson Rosella......Page 125
The big-billed, picky eater: Glossy Black-Cockatoo......Page 126
Choosing carefully: Peregrine Falcon and Galah......Page 127
Interlude: The evolutionary equilibrium of predators and prey......Page 128
Optimal foraging: oystercatchers......Page 129
Reducing competition......Page 132
Made to measure: shorebirds......Page 133
The same but diff erent: Australasian and Hoary-headed Grebes......Page 135
Different ways to make a living: Pacific Gull, South Polar Skua and Crested Tern......Page 137
Size matters: honeyeaters......Page 139
Using ‘tools’......Page 142
Playing with fire: Black Kite......Page 143
Stone tools: Black-breasted Buzzard......Page 144
Hammer and anvil user: Noisy Pitta......Page 145
The lumberjack: Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo......Page 146
The drummer: Palm Cockatoo......Page 147
Communicating......Page 150
The bearded boaster: Australian Raven......Page 151
Group chorister: Australian Logrunner......Page 152
A cracking duo: Eastern Whipbird......Page 153
Heard but not seen: Rufous and Noisy Scrub-birds......Page 155
The song and dance man: Superb Lyrebird......Page 157
Polygynous posers: Magnifi cent Riflebird, Trumpet Manucode and Victoria’s Rifl ebird......Page 159
Signaling maturity: Black-faced Sheathbill......Page 161
Staking a claim: Black-faced Sheathbill......Page 162
Quality vs quantity......Page 164
Boom and bust shorebird style: Banded Stilt......Page 165
Familiarity pays: Short-tailed Shearwater......Page 167
Courtship......Page 170
Boom box territoriality: Emu......Page 171
Male–female dynamics: Great Crested Grebe......Page 172
The scented powderpuff : Musk Duck......Page 174
A long engagement: Wandering Albatross......Page 175
Breeding seasons’ greetings: Australasian Gannet......Page 176
You are my Valentine: Christmas Island Frigatebird......Page 177
Do you think I’m sexy? Pied Cormorant......Page 178
Mutual attraction: Red-tailed Tropicbirds......Page 179
The flap dancer: Black-necked Stork......Page 180
The ballet dancer: Brolga......Page 181
Brazenly barefaced: Royal Spoonbill......Page 182
Bow coo: pigeon courtship......Page 183
True blue Lotharios: Variegated Fairy-wren......Page 185
Playing hard to get: White-throated Treecreeper......Page 186
The importance of ritual: Red-browed Finch......Page 187
Life in the monogamy fast track: Black-throated Finch......Page 188
Architects are smarter: bowerbirds......Page 189
Why go to so much trouble? Great, Spotted and Fawn-breasted Bowerbirds......Page 193
Look at me: Crimson Chat......Page 195
Nests......Page 198
Designed by the same architect: robins......Page 199
Topped and tailed: Yellow-bellied Sunbird......Page 201
What nest? Spotted Quail-Thrush
......Page 202
The fancy stitcher: Golden-headed Cisticola......Page 203
An insect’s nest: Buff -breasted Paradise-Kingfi sher......Page 204
The bottle-builder: Fairy Martin......Page 205
Bees and burrows: Rainbow Bee-eater......Page 206
Interlude: A cooperative migrant......Page 208
Parental care......Page 210
Hot-footed: Brown Booby......Page 211
Saliva nests and egg-incubating chicks: Australian Swiftlet......Page 212
A bun in the oven: Malleefowl, Australian Brush-turkey and Orange-footed Scrubfowl......Page 214
Is it a boy or girl? Australian Brush-turkey......Page 216
A head start in the arms race: Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo......Page 217
Helpless hatchlings: Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo......Page 218
Coping with extremes: Australian Pratincole and Masked Lapwing......Page 219
A crown of thorns or a larder? Crested Bellbirds......Page 221
Taking them under his wing: Comb-crested Jacana......Page 222
A parent’s love: Brolga......Page 223
Cream of the crop: Emerald Dove......Page 224
Toilet trained: the Golden-headed Cisticola......Page 225
A face only a father could love: Pheasant Coucal......Page 226
Chicks: behaving badly; behaving well......Page 228
Balanced begging: Singing Bushlark......Page 229
Bright little beggars: Painted Finch......Page 230
Cooperative killers: Australian Pelican......Page 231
Killer babies and insurance eggs: Brown Booby......Page 233
Cheaters versus cheated and odd couples: Eastern Koel, Australasian Figbird and Little Friarbird......Page 234
Sticking together: Fairy Tern......Page 236
Living together: same species......Page 238
Sociality for survival: Apostlebird, White-winged Chough and Varied Sittella......Page 239
Lending a hand: Grey-crowned Babbler......Page 242
Red-eyed kidnapper: White-winged Chough......Page 244
Waiting in the wings: Laughing Kookaburra......Page 245
Ritualised aggression: Dusky Moorhen......Page 246
Cold comfort: Black-faced Woodswallow......Page 248
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours: Silvereye......Page 250
Troop fishing: Australian Pelican......Page 251
Cooperative spear-fisherman: Black-necked Stork (Jabiru)......Page 252
Living together: different species......Page 254
A one-sided affair? Azure Kingfi sher and Platypus......Page 255
Lured into the shadows: Cattle Egret......Page 256
Farming mistletoe? Mistletoebird......Page 257
Pest control: Spotted Pardalote......Page 259
Looking after trees? Bell Miner......Page 260
Wrapping up......Page 262
Further reading......Page 264