wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (06/14/85)
Saw some interesting behavior last night by the birdbath in my back yard. A male cardinal was standing on the walk, keeping back, and two female cardinals were (apparently) fighting -- at least there was a lot of fluttering and jousting going on. My first thought was that the two females were fighting over the male -- some sort of romantic triangle. Then I thought that that hypothesis was rather odd -- wouldn't it be males fighting over a female, not the other way around? And then I considered the time of year -- it is somewhat late for mating and nesting now, isn't it? I have seen baby robins reach fledgling stage already, and wouldn't the cardinals already have halfway-raised (at least) their young, too? (Area = St. Louis, MO, if that matters.) It occurred to me that maybe one of the females was a grown chick, and the mother was driving it away to live independently. But it appeared to be the same size as the other bird, and this seems too *early* in the season for that sort of behavior. So I am now thoroughly confused. Or could have been a simple territorial defense? Does the male bird of a pair fight off other males of the same species, and the female fight off other females? Or does either sex defend against either? Alternative explanations and expert opinions welcomed! ***** And another query, not really related: We often see baby robins on the ground, hopping around and being fed and guarded by the parents. We never see other species' chicks in the same situation. Is this because: a) There are more robins around? (There really are more starlings, but maybe they all nest together somewhere away from my house [thank goodness!].) b) Robins build lousy nests, too small for the chicks, which fall out all the time (more than other species)? c) Other species' chicks that fall out are immediately abandoned, and die soon afterwards, and thus are not seen (plus there are no concerned parents around to draw attention to them)? d) Something else entirely? Regards, and happy birding! Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
ewa@gitpyr.UUCP (Eric Allender) (06/20/85)
> > And another query, not really related: We often see baby robins on the > ground, hopping around and being fed and guarded by the parents. We > never see other species' chicks in the same situation. My fiancee and I have observed this behavior in mockingbirds in Georgia and Florida.
tjo@gypsy.UUCP (06/20/85)
Cardinals nest quite late into the summer; they may even have more than one brood per year. A pair of cardinals built a nest in a bush just outside my living room window a week and a half ago; the eggs were laid about June 12, and we expect to be proud meta-parents any day.