These corvids have not been observed to remove and eat ticks in previous years - they appear to have only learned this behaviour in 2019. All of the birds started out lunging and snatching at the ticks, with the result that they removed a beakful of fur as well as the tick - naturally the wallabies object to this! While some still lunge and snatch, others appear to have developed a more precise art over these past weeks - they use more finesse, removing smaller and smaller ticks while ripping out less fur, with the result that the wallabies are more relaxed and increasingly prepared to accept their attentions, which allows the corvids to be more precise and rip out less fur... a positive feedback loop. It is uncertain where the improvement started, with the wallaby's attitude or the corvids' increased skill. The corvids at our other property 20km away still show no sign of learning the tick removing behaviour.
27 авг 2024
