The Nesting of the Pilot Bird



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THE NESTING OE THE PILOT BIRD

(.PYCNOPTILUS FLOCCOSUS)


By S. A. Lawrence and R. T. Littlejohns


Textbooks invariably mention the Pilot Bird as being rare, but in

the dense, scrubby gullies of the Dandenong Ranges (Victoria) they may

often be seen by the keen observer who knows where to look and what

to look for. Their comparative silence and unobtrusive habits render

their detection difficult until such time as the observer learns to recognize

the quiet call and the class of country which they frequent.


The writers visited the ranges many times before the birds were

noticed, but since making their acquaintance numbers have been

seen and several nests located. The bird is to a great extent a ground-

lover, very rarely flying, and if forced to take wing flies low, never higher

than a foot or two. They travel on the ground as a rule, and their

rapid passage through the undergrowth makes them very difficult to

follow. We have on one or two occasions seen the birds perch on a

shrub, but only at a height of 2 or 3 feet. Their food consists

of beetles, worms, and small freshwater mussels, which are found in

the damp gullies of these Ranges. The birds are very local in habit,

never moving far from one particular spot.


Our first nest of this species was discovered quite by accident.

We were scrambling down the side of a dense scrubby gully at Olinda

with some bird-lover friends, when one of the party, while stepping

over a log, kicked against a tangle of dry bracken ; instantly a loud

clamouring arose, and on searching we discovered a dome-shaped nest

containing two fine, unfledged youngsters. The nest was quite new

to us all at that time, so we waited for the adult birds to appear. The

female arrived first, after some considerable time, but we were still in

the dark as to what species the bird belonged. It was not until

we arrived at the camp and consulted Dr. Leach's Australian Bird

Book that we discovered what our find was. This bird was very tame

on arriving at the nest with food for the young, and proceeded to feed

them without taking the slightest notice of our party, who were sitting

only a few feet distant. We stayed by the nest while we had lunch,

and the birds became so tame as to take bread from our hands. We



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