The above video clip by Jason Cho a.k.a. jcho was taken at Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. It shows a male Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) fascinated with his reflection seen from a wound-up glass pane of a car side door. However, when he moved to the side mirror where the image was brighter and clearer, he became aggressive and confrontational.
This is a common occurrence as birds view their reflections as competitors, sometimes becoming extremely aggressive. For more accounts of such behaviour, see HERE.
This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.
2 Responses
I have a different interpretation of its behaviour in front of the side mirror. It fluttered its wings initially because there was no suitable perch to confront its “enemy”. Once it found its toes in the gap at the top edge of the mirror, it steadied itself and behaved the same as when it was facing the less reflective car window.
I must add that this is a great video and eding.