From Point Addis, Victoria (38o25' S 144o15' E) the coast and hills to the west were bathed in a golden light as the sun went down, while off shore there was a steady, if not spectacular, eastward passage of Fluttering Shearwaters Puffinus gavia. The fine, calm evening of 6 August 1998 was not really conducive to sea-watching with only a few of the shearwaters passing close enough for us to be confident of identifying them. While waiting for these occasional closer groups of birds our attention wandered. A Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti fed in the open around the edge of the cliff top car park even running under some of the parked cars.
Two female-plumaged Superb Fairy-Wrens Malurus cyaneus were also working their way along the seaward edge of the car park. When they reached our car, they flew up onto the bumper and proceeded to glean dead insects from the headlights, radiator grill and bumper. The two birds fed in this way for about 90 seconds before continuing round the edge of the car park. We had watched from a distance of c. 6 m using 10 X 50 and 8 x30 binoculars but could not discern what the Fairy-Wrens were picking from the car, whatever they were taking was too small. Not being entomologists, we were also unable to identify the insect remains on the front of the car.
We have not been able to find any references to this behaviour for Superb Fairy-Wren, or any other Fairy-Wrens (Schodde 1982, Rowley & Russell 1997), although they are noted to quickly take advantage of any new food source that may present itself (Schodde 1982) and, for example, a male Superb Fairy-Wren took dead flies from the window ledge of the bird observatory at Melaleuca, SW Tasmania (RH pers obs). Other species have been recorded taking advantage of similar food sources e.g. House Sparrows in the U.K. (Bankier 1984, Simmons 1984)
Bankier, A.M. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.
Rowley, I., & E. Russell. 1997. Fairy-Wrens and Grass-Wrens. Oxford.
Schodde, R. 1982. The Fairy-Wrens. A Monograph of the Maluridae. Lansdowne Editions. Melbourne
Simmons, K.E.L. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.
Two female-plumaged Superb Fairy-Wrens Malurus cyaneus were also working their way along the seaward edge of the car park. When they reached our car, they flew up onto the bumper and proceeded to glean dead insects from the headlights, radiator grill and bumper. The two birds fed in this way for about 90 seconds before continuing round the edge of the car park. We had watched from a distance of c. 6 m using 10 X 50 and 8 x30 binoculars but could not discern what the Fairy-Wrens were picking from the car, whatever they were taking was too small. Not being entomologists, we were also unable to identify the insect remains on the front of the car.
We have not been able to find any references to this behaviour for Superb Fairy-Wren, or any other Fairy-Wrens (Schodde 1982, Rowley & Russell 1997), although they are noted to quickly take advantage of any new food source that may present itself (Schodde 1982) and, for example, a male Superb Fairy-Wren took dead flies from the window ledge of the bird observatory at Melaleuca, SW Tasmania (RH pers obs). Other species have been recorded taking advantage of similar food sources e.g. House Sparrows in the U.K. (Bankier 1984, Simmons 1984)
Bankier, A.M. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.
Rowley, I., & E. Russell. 1997. Fairy-Wrens and Grass-Wrens. Oxford.
Schodde, R. 1982. The Fairy-Wrens. A Monograph of the Maluridae. Lansdowne Editions. Melbourne
Simmons, K.E.L. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.
