Territorial Behaviour

My nature outings and backyard observations have been so interesting this month. Migrating birds are still passing through but our summer residents are busy staking their nesting territories or defending nests already home to eggs or young birds. 

I walked around Mud Lake in the neighbourhood of Britannia in Ottawa last week. The small lake is adjacent to the Ottawa River at Britannia Bay and is a good birding spot any time of year. 

A female American Redstart warbler was distressed by the side mirrors of the cars parked on the roadway at the trailhead. It confused its own reflection in the mirror as another bird competing for a chosen nesting spot. I took this picture a little before 7 AM and when I finished walking two and a half hours later, the bird was still attacking cars. I felt very sorry for it as it expended unnecessary energy in a futile effort to chase away the phantom intruder.

I saw a female Northern Cardinal engage in the same behaviour in a rural parking lot a few years ago.

A trio of Wild Turkeys challenged people walking the same trail. Canadians are used to aggressive Canada Geese at this time of year but this turkey was larger and more menacing. It warned me off with loud calls as it paced the path in front of me. I moved slowly and gave it a wide berth as I walked ahead.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds are very common and their territorial calls and displays are meant to intimidate other male birds, not humans. The female birds are quiet, brown-streaked birds that are actively nesting right now.

A pair of House Finches are building a nest in a cedar bush at the entrance to our house. This male House Finch claimed the railing at our front door to sing its loud territorial song. The female darted in and out of the shrub with nesting material. A co-worker has a pair of House Finches nesting in a Christmas wreath on her front door and has decided to use an alternate entrance to the house until the baby birds have fledged. 

The most dramatic territorial battle observed this month was waged by two male Northern Flickers. At first, I thought a male and female were doing a mating dance but noticed that both birds had the distinctive male black malar "moustache".

The website of the American Bird Conservancy describes the male birds' Wicka dance.

Here is a quote from the site.

"The male Northern Flicker establishes a nesting territory by drumming on wood or another resonant surface, including home siding, shingles, or gutters. But this species also has a secret weapon to help stake out territory, plus attract a mate — a ritualized dance display. This display begins with two male flickers confronting each other, often with a third bird, usually a female, looking on.

The rivals point their beaks skyward and begin to sway their heads back and forth, "fencing" with their bills while giving loud "wicka wicka" calls and flicking their wings and tails open to flash the colourful flight feathers. These dances may continue for hours at a time in short bursts but usually conclude without further conflict, with one bird simply flying away. Even after a pair is established, male and female flickers continue to defend their territory with this unique and entertaining (at least to human onlookers) display."

I watched these male Northern Flickers energetically perform for about fifteen minutes. If there was a female observer, I did not see her. The Flicker Wicka dance ended with a clear winner and the "loser" flew to the woodlot on the other side of the pond to look for another home territory. Flickers are among my favourite woodpeckers with their bright plumage, sassy calls and confident behaviour. 

Like birds and animals, humans instinctively establish and defend areas they claim as owners. It is important to have shelter, access to food and a safe place to raise our young. Overall, birds and animals are satisfied with a reasonable allotment of space while humans have fought for millennia in their ongoing quests to acquire more land, resources and wealth than necessary for survival. Greed is our nemesis. On a positive note, humans often exhibit extraordinary displays of empathy and selfless sharing. We are genetically wired as territorial challengers but can override our instincts by choosing to be caring and compassionate.