Rifleman Series: Part 6 - Fledging

Taking flight takes a certain amount of courage. When nestlings have grown too big for the nest, they are ready to fledge and explore the world of the sky. During this time of the breeding season, we can finally see what a baby tītipounamu looks like.

In December, the forest is filled with tītipounamu fledglings. Whether you like it or not, you are bound to hear them. Literally, the first and often loudest thing you hear are the constant calls of fledglings, signalling to their adults where they are. There is, of course, also the danger of informing the predators of their location. Even then, the adults’ job is not done.

These birds are still feeding their kids who are still too clumsy to keep themselves full. A few days after fledging, the chicks usually cluster together in a row, and they don’t quite know what to do besides calling for food. They are covered in fat after a long feeding stage in the nest. Here's a picture of an adult (on the right) feeding its fledgling (on the left).

Other small birds are also annoyed by these young and loud youngsters and were sometimes seen to chase them off. I sympathize with these little dudes. They are bullied by everyone! I have seen a bellbird getting hold of a juvenile, and they dropped to the ground right next to my feet! The poor bird screamed in pain. The parents and siblings dropped with them and chased off the bellbird. Score! The young bird is saved. But all of this happened in 3 seconds and I couldn’t record it on camera or recorder. Robins are seen many times chasing adult birds too.

The fledglings are grey, with streaked crown and streaked chest. It is easily distinguishable from an adult. Here's 4 of them clustered together taking a nap while waiting for their parents to come feed them.

As fledglings they also stay very high up in the canopy, probably because they are safer up there? Or they don’t quite know how to dive yet? So, the equipment strain got worse. Sometimes I had to lay down on the ground in order to keep track of their behavior.

In the next blog post on the 15th of February 2019, I will talk about the difference between birding in New Zealand and birding in Malaysia, and the survival of the fittest.