Another grey, damp day but one which produced some interesting photos; none more so than the main sequence tonight.
Dunnocks are small brown birds, often mistaken for other species (e.g. sparrows). They tend to stay near the undergrowth and flit around at ground level. They have little going for them to make them stand out in the avian hierarchy except their… em.. social arrangements. Dunnocks are promiscuous birds, and frequently the female will mate with two or more males in quick succession (they are classically regarded as living in threes). That's not entirely unheard of in the bird world (ducks, for example, though generally initiated by the males), but what distinguishes the dunnock is that having mated once the female will present herself to another male for mating, but will first allow him to attempt to peck out any sperm deposited by his rival! It's entirely likely that in a single clutch the eggs will have been fertilized by different partners.
I didn't get to witness the above behaviour, but I did see part of the mating dance in which the female struts and the male engages in much wing beating. This is a short part of the courtship sequence.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
10 Comments
:headbang:
Interesting behaviour … there are similarities to other species, but it's rare.
They look like sparrows but a beak is different, I think :left:
dW, it was interesting to see even a part of their ritual. Dunnocks are very common round here, but this display was a first for me.
Darko, they are sometimes called 'hedge sparrows', but they are a different group. Their beak is much thinner, but you do see them together with sparrows.
Andy, ain't nature great!
I think dunnocks often get overlooked, being small and brown and sparrowlike – but they are rather surprising creatures.
Adele, they are great little birds, but they will never be photogenic enough to get a popular press.
:yes: Prunella modularis, interesting bird indeed.
Sami, they are very bold little things, which I appreciate when getting photos.