The Diet of the Nestling Noisy Scrub-Bird, Atrichornis Clamosus.

Abstract

The diet of nestling noisy scrub-birds, Atrichornis clamosus, was determined from observations at 12 nests and from examination of 718 faecal sacs. Nestlings were fed invertebrates of 18 orders plus a few small vertebrates. There was no significant difference in the proportions of the various taxa as determined from observational and faecal sac data. The most common prey from the combined data were Araneida (35%), Orthoptera (29%), larvae (13%), Blattodea (7%), Hymenoptera (4%), Chilopoda (3%), and Lumbricidae (2%). There were significant differences between the proportions of the main prey items between years, within years and within territories. There were no significant differences in the type of prey fed at different ages. The data suggest that the female noisy scrub-bird is a generalist predator when feeding her young.