article thumbnail

Birding Shanghai in May 2023 – Part 1

10,000 Birds

During the breeding season, some Cattle Egrets look like teenage girls who have just discovered the existence of make-up, and consequently massively overdo it. But what do I know about the taste preferences of Cattle Egrets. While having somebody else raise your chicks like an attractive strategy to me, it is not without dangers.

Birds 130
article thumbnail

Birding Shanghai in May 2023 – Part 2

10,000 Birds

The Large-billed Crow ( video ) is one of the natural enemies – in the study above, it predated 19 eggs from four pitta nests. And how do Fairy Pittas get injured and possibly die? This should not be a problem in Shanghai as the pitta has not been reported to breed here. Is it worth a scientific paper if a Large-billed Crow eats a fish?

Birds 130
article thumbnail

Birding Shanghai in July 2022

10,000 Birds

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

Birds 147