First things first! The birds! These chatty birds are socially living cooperative breeders, which means that they live in social groups all year round, and when it comes to breeding, a single breeding pair mates and lays eggs, and then they, as well as numerous "helpers" raise the young. The helpers are often offspring of the breeding pair, but can also be unrelated.
The breeding pair, as well as the helpers build the nest together. First they gather mud and build up a base,then they shape the cup and add in the grass and finally they line the nest with grass and feathers. But not without a whole lot of drama, discussions, screaming and the occasional fight. Building this nest seems to be a big deal and everybird want to contribute. Sometimes a bird is shoved aside whilst his beak is still full of mud, and sometimes he shoves back in. If he gets angry enough he will spill his mud Aesop's Fable style as he opens his beak to protest. Sometimes, somebirdy want to join the mud nest building festivities and is chased off, sometimes somebirdy leaves the whole scene and joins another group. It is an excitable time.
When it comes to egg laying, the social group (breeding pair and helpers) appear to have settled down. Again, everybird helps incubate the nest, and care of the nest is so important that negotiations still occur at the nest. The conversation goes like this: "mm mmm mmm mmm mmmm" " ee ee ee ee ee ee" "mee mee mee mee" " da dee do, da dee do AA AA AA AA AA AA, AU AU AU EEUU EEUU"
Rough transation: "get off, get off, get off, get off" " mine mine mine mine"" GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF" " not happy, not happy, somebirdy taking over nest, where are you? where are you? (this is as the bird leaves the nest and flies to join the rest of the group).
Sometimes, the bird on the nest wants to get off. Maybe he or she is hungry, or maybe has a sore bum, or maybe tired of watching the local entertainment (Biologist Bloopers, Emu Entertainment, Sheep Show or Krazy Kangaroos). He or she wants to leave, so she sends out a call for replacement. Because she is transmitting over a large distance and sometimes in windy conditions she is already calling very loud. So what is a bird to do if she really want to get off now rather that sending a more polite "will someone please"? Well, she can call "eeuu" (rough translation:soon good)," eeuee" ( want off now), "eeueeuu" (going to leave soon!). But again, the nest is so important that it is rare that I see a bird just up and leave the nest. But, I have listened (and recorded) many a bird calling " eeuee" bouts again and again.
Then, one day, an egg hatches and out appears a baby! The next day another baby, and the next day a third, and sometimes more! Oh, babies the places you will go! (if you survive), so diligently our proud parents and their helpers feed, preen, warm and primp the babies, carrying away (or eating!) their poo, and day by day the chicks grow and grow and beg and beg and get very very fussed over! And throughout this chick care the birds continue to have their nest conversations. Yes, they still have this drive to screech and call and generally make a production of the swapping of nest duties. Doesn't seem so smart, does it? Yes, let's advertise the presence of the nest to potential predators? There must be a good reason for all this conversation.And let me emphasize to you that this chatty behaviour is not confined to the nest. No sir, not these birds. Chat chat chat, while foraging, chat chat chat, while preening, chat chat chat, while flying, CHAT CHAT CHAT DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA MAKEUP MAKEUP MAKEUP. Who needs soap operas when you have these birds? And this is where your truly, PhD student biologist comes in! So many chatty birds and conversations to fill my thesis, so much to understand.
So now, I have given you a good overview of their chit chat. Have a look at the video once more and this time, oh can you see the possibilites! These birds will steal your hearts.
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