White-winged Chough

WHITE-WINGED CHOUGH Corcorax melanorhamphos

We always know that autumn is under way and winter is approaching when the choughs return to the area.

 One rarely sees a lone chough, they are very social animals, with a strong sense of family. They gather together on a tree branch so closely that it is difficult to see where one bird starts and one finishes.

 
They hunt together on the ground, turning over grass, branches and litter, looking for whatever there is to eat,  invertebrates, seeds corms and tubers. When disturbed they will all fly off together to a branch, whistling and calling on the way.

When excited the eyes becomes engorged with blood and become bright red. This makes the birds become very demon like.

 

There is so much of interest about these birds. Their social units are very strong and all work together to bring up the new young. There are even stories of choughs 'kidnapping' birds from other clans so that they can assist with the chores of the group. Some say these kidnapped young are never fully accepted into the group but are treated like the 'step sisters' of our fairy tales. Is this is a form of animal slavery? 

Does it really happen?

 

There is some fascinating reading in Gisela Kaplan's book, Bird Minds about choughs and other Australian birds. It is published by CSIRO Publishing. It is well worth reading.

 

 

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