Does anyone know...

[baturn]

what this odd behavior is?



It happens with many other birds as well, in warm weather.

 

[Heitz]

I think its a mating call.

 

[o hey tyler]

My guess: Crip Walk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[baturn]

Pretty sure it's not mating because many different species exhibit this behaviour year round, but Tyler may have something. lol.

 

[o hey tyler]

Pretty sure it's not mating because many different species exhibit this behaviour year round, but Tyler may have something. lol.

It's a closed case my friend. The answer is in the Wikipedia link for sure.

 

[PixelRabbit]

While I think Tyler is onto something there lol I think it is more for both territorial and mating displays. You will often see females and males puffing and trilling at each other, we have a couple different kinds of birds that do it in the window most mornings, they see the other girl/guy looking back and want to let them know who belongs and who doesn't!

 

[Overread]

Hard to tell with stills - a video might be more revealing.

That said maybe dustbath

 

[amolitor]

^^^ that. A still photograph does not document a "behavior" in any meaningful way.

 

[Overread]

Stills can work, but it works best for short moments of behaviour or when backed up with detailed description and observations. Some things work and others just don't. This, for example, is very hard to interpret from the still shots as displayed.

 

[MLCIII]

Fluffed up, open mouth, slightly expanded wings normally mean aggression. That's what a little personal experience and google verification say, anyway. Or maybe it's just the crip-walk.

 

[baturn]

Thanks for your responses. To be more forth coming, ,have observed this behavior at all times of year as long as weather is warm and sunny. It happens whether or not there are other birds around and many different species exhibit . The two shown are Brewers Blackbirds, ,male and female, but several types of sparrows and even a red breast ed nuthatch have also been observed. To be more specific on the behavior itself, the birds are laying over on one out stretched wing and perfectly still. I at first thought it was injured or stressed but after a few minutes they all resume normal behavior. As a side note, if google had been helpful I would not have asked here.

 

[o hey tyler]

At this point I think it's safe to say we can all agree that the bird was crip walking.

 

[baturn]

This is starting to feel more confrontational than helpful. Thanks anyway.

 

[o hey tyler]

This is starting to feel more confrontational than helpful. Thanks anyway.

Yes, very confrontational. I'm so angry that you aren't exactly in line with my theory!

You realize that I'm totally 100% joking and only bumping your thread in hopes that someone actually knows what it is, right?

 

[Designer]

I think it is a decoy to keep predators (such as photographers) away from a nest.

Strange behavior from wild bird. Is this usual behavior? Not moving/playing dead/hurt, not reacting when

We know that killdeer and other ground-nesting birds do this, so why not these as well?