Your Questions
Our expert panel answers your birding questions
Scruffy Rook ID Q
I have just seen a rather scruffy looking Rook with crossed mandibles. It made me wonder how long can birds survive with deformed bills. Can you help answer this, please? Harvey Singer
A
A small proportion of all birds have slight to considerable deformities in bill growth. This can be caused by mechanical damage or disease of various kinds, or even, rarely, by genetic deformities. One of the horny mandibles may over grow the other, or a slight lateral displacement can mean they overlap each other like your Rook. In answer to your question, Harvey, the effect this would have on a bird’s survival depends on the severity of the deformation and how this affects the bird’s ability to feed, drink, preen and bathe. If the bird is able to carry on almost as normal, it may live a more or less ‘normal’ life. BW’s Mike Weedon had a Carrion Crow with similarly crossed mandibles to your Rook, which lived in his neighbourhood for several years, and was paired with a ‘normal’ billed crow, and raised multiple broods. So, the answer is a rather woolly: it depends.
Ecuador bird species Q
In the October issue there is a Bird the World article on Ecuador which states that Ecuador is the second in the list of countries with the most number of bird species. I was always led to believe that Ecuador was fifth in this list behind Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Indonesia.Can you advise which of these statements is correct, please ?
Séamus (via email)
A
We think you are quite right, Séamus, in stating that Ecuador is fifth on the list of countries with the most bird species. We are not sure how the ‘fact’ about it being the second most diverse (in bird species) crept in. In terms of species per square kilometre, Ecuador does punch well above its weight in a South American context, though: with a species of bird for every 175 km2 compared to one for every 608 km2 in Colombia.
Bird ID, please Q
I wonder whether you would be able to identify the two birds that I photographed on a sea shore in very stormy weather? I think the one is possibly a Rock Pipit, but cannot identify the other which seems to have a slightly pinky tinged underside. I’m sorry the photos are not as clear as they might be, I was being buffeted by strong winds at the time.
Carol Davies
A
Firstly, Carol, no need to apologise for the quality of the photos; they show more than enough detail for our ‘experts’ to identify the birds, and are much better than many we have seen! Secondly, you are right, one of the birds you have photographed is indeed a Rock Pipit. The typical pipit structure (like a small thrush) is obvious, as is the smudgily streaked breast, dark, smudgy belly and relatively unstreaked back. The photograph even shows part of the dark legs. It appears to be walking around on a typically stony habitat.
The other bird, with the ‘pinky tinged’ underside is a Stonechat, most likely an adult female or a first-winter bird.
The orange underparts, streaked brown upperparts and pale throat plus poorly defined supercilium (‘eyebrow’) are diagnostic. Your photo also shows very well the typical perky structure of this species (shared with the summer visiting Whinchat, and the rare eastern stonechats, of course), with its relatively large head, short tail and long legs (for a tiny bird).