Thursday, 2 July 2009

Sparrow Throws Juvenile Greenfinch off Feeder

I had a feeling when I was watching the earlier video of the Juvenile Greenfinch feeding that the Sparrow did more than just scare the youngster away. I slowed the action down to 10% and you can see how the Sparrow lands on the Greenfinch and appears to use its feet to throw the youngster bodily from the perch.

14 comments:

  1. I agree John - that was a deliberate move by the Sparrow. Interesting too how the Greenfinch was studiously watching its arrival - poor wee thing!!

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  2. Hi Tricia. Every now and then there is an argument between a Greenfinch and a Sparrow in the nearby tree. Mind you the Sparrows are nearly as argumentative as the Starlings some days.
    I think I will have to get a larger feeder with more perches. It was bedlam this morning as so many small birds were jockeying for the four perches.

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  3. Brilliant bit of video there, John! That's definitely a red card for the sparrow, I reckon - going for the player and not the perch.

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  4. A little thug, these videos are really informative and entertaining, thanks Adrian.

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  5. I noticed that when I first I watched it John, right at the end of the clip. Then when he's dislodged him, he goes to another perch on the feeder.
    The slowed down footage is excellent.

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  6. Thanks Rob. Ulead VideoStudio 11 seems to do a good job of slowing the action down. Things happen so fast it is often easy to miss exactly what is going on.

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  7. Thank you Adrian. I enjoy taking them and it is an nice extra when others enjoy watching them.

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  8. Yes Keith. I had noticed that the Sparrow was aggressive but thought initially it was just barging in. Maybe it was making room for its own young as there are quite a few juvenile Sparrows about at the moment.

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  9. Wow! Nasty sparrow!! Very clever piece of video.

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  10. Hi Mick. It all happens here! Every aspect of birdy life. Sparrows can be very aggressive, especially considering how small they are.

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  11. Yes that really emphasises the dastardly deed, caught on camera indeed! The Sparrow won't be able to deny it! Time to call in Inspector Bobby to issue a warning or an arrest warrant for disorderly behaviour:)

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  12. The Sparrows can be very aggressive sometimes. I was really surprised just what the Sparrow did when I made the slow motion version.
    Bobby is keeping a low profile trying to find the coolest spot where he can still keep an eye and an ear on everything and everybody.

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  13. That's fascinating John! I am studying animal behaviour at the moment (mostly dogs actually) but I have read a bit about the origins of the word 'henpecked' and how birds really do have a 'pecking order' in their society. I guess the greenfinch was lower down the pecking order!

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  14. Hi Matron. There is plenty of behaviour variation to study in the animal kingdom. Even the different barks dogs use I find interesting. All my dogs have had a tentative 'is there another dog about' bark which is very quiet with a listening period between each short, single bark. Then there are the excited, warning and aggressive barks / growls and probably others in between.

    Yes indeed Matron. It isn't just the male of our species which is henpecked :)

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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