Here are some observations on the behaviour of two Greater Flamebacks that may be worth sharing
Place : Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary, Kolkata
Date: 17th April, 2010.
Time: Around 10.00 a.m
I continued my futile search for a pair of Abbott's Babblers spotted recently in the sanctuary. These birds seem intent at showing off their skulking skills and to date I have only managed a couple of fleeting glimpses and no pictures. I could hear Greater Flamebacks call throughout the morning but did not pay any attention to them till a female came and perched upon a branch of a dead tree close to where I was standing. Her calls started getting louder and she started looking (at least in the pictures that I took) somewhat aggressive. Presently there emerged a male from the back of the branch totally intent on exterminating whatever remained of it. For the next twenty minutes it hammered away at it and produced as many as four juicy grubs (some kind of white larvae) in that short span of time. It is known that a woodpecker's nictitating membrane closes a few milliseconds before it hits the wood and I could see that from some of my pictures.
The female meanwhile kept on looking at him calling loudly. At times she paused for a few seconds and made a few half hearted pecking attempts, which did not yield anything. Every single time the male would pull out one of the grub with its tongue, he would hold it in his bill and look expectantly at the female. After considering the offering for a second or two the female would fly to the male, accept the worm while in flight and fly back to her perch. This continued for some twenty minutes before a group of people passing underneath the tree flushed both of them.
Attached is a picture showing the male feeding the female.
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Cheers,
Arka S
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