HKBWS BBS 香港觀鳥會新聞組


    
      
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        Discussion Area 討論區 >> Birding Reports & Tips 觀鳥報告及心得 >>  Courtship (SB Flowerpecker) 朱背啄花鳥求偶
        
(Message started by: So Siu Hei on Oct 23^rd, 2004, 1:19am)

Title: Courtship (SB Flowerpecker) 朱背啄花鳥求偶
Post by So Siu Hei on Oct 23^rd, 2004, 1:19am

An unusually steady bird on a tree beside Kennedy Road, Hong Kong attracted my attention. Luckily I had my binoculars with me. It turned out to be a female Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. A male was also found nearby. The male lowered its head so that the body was about 30 to 45 degrees inclined to the horizontal. The head pointed towards the female and downwards. The female perched at about one metre away on a slightly higher twig. The position allowed the male to maximize the show off of its scarlet back. The male spread its tail feathers. Its tail was tilted up and wagged vertically. The female responded by continuously vibrating the tip of its wings. I watched the ritual continue for about 10 minutes, but I don't know when did it start. All of a sudden the male flew onto the female. The copulation was finished in probably less than a second. One after the other they disappeared into the trees. The event occurred in the afternoon of 22 October 2004. Grateful if someone could comment on whether October is the usual mating season for this species.

Title: Re: Courtship (SB Flowerpecker) 朱背啄花鳥求偶
Post by tanghb on Nov 8^th, 2004, 9:37pm

I am in Singapore and I was also surprised to see a pair of SB flowerpeckers building a nest this week. My field guide says their breeding season is from Jan to July, and it is November now! The nest is completed now and I hope they will continue with their nesting activity. If you are interested, please follow the link below to see some photos I took of the pair.

http://pachome2.pacific.net.sg/~tanghb/Scarlet_backed_flowerpecker_nesting.html

Siu Hei, did you see the pair of SB flowerpeckers build a nest? Do you think they build nest before or after the copulation ?

Title: Re: Courtship (SB Flowerpecker) 朱背啄花鳥求偶
Post by So_Siu_Hei on Nov 22^nd, 2004, 3:07am

Dear tanghb,

Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos. I did not see them (or only the female) building the nest. The second question is interesting but I don't have the answer.