# Does anyone know...



## baturn (May 25, 2013)

what this odd behavior is?




It happens with many other birds as well, in warm weather.


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## Heitz (May 25, 2013)

I think its a mating call.


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## o hey tyler (May 25, 2013)

My guess: Crip Walk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## baturn (May 25, 2013)

Pretty sure it's not mating because many different species exhibit this behaviour year round, but Tyler may have something. lol.


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## o hey tyler (May 25, 2013)

baturn said:


> Pretty sure it's not mating because many different species exhibit this behaviour year round, but Tyler may have something. lol.



It's a closed case my friend. The answer is in the Wikipedia link for sure.


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## PixelRabbit (May 25, 2013)

While I think Tyler is onto something there lol I think it is more for both territorial and mating displays.  You will often see females and males puffing and trilling at each other, we have a couple different kinds of birds that do it in the window most mornings, they see the other girl/guy looking back and want to let them know who belongs and who doesn't!


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## Overread (May 25, 2013)

Hard to tell with stills - a video might be more revealing. 

That said maybe dustbath


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## amolitor (May 25, 2013)

^^^ that. A still photograph does not document a "behavior" in any meaningful way.


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## Overread (May 25, 2013)

Stills can work, but it works best for short moments of behaviour or when backed up with detailed description and observations. Some things work and others just don't. This, for example, is very hard to interpret from the still shots as displayed.


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## MLCIII (May 25, 2013)

Fluffed up, open mouth, slightly expanded wings normally mean aggression. That's what a little personal experience and google verification say, anyway. Or maybe it's just the crip-walk.


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## baturn (May 25, 2013)

Thanks for your responses. To be more forth coming, ,have observed this behavior at all times of year as long as weather is warm and sunny. It happens whether or not there are other birds around and many different species exhibit . The two shown are Brewers Blackbirds, ,male and female, but several types of sparrows and even a red breast ed nuthatch have also been observed. To be more specific on the behavior itself, the birds are laying over on one out stretched wing and perfectly still. I at first thought it was injured or stressed but after a few minutes they all resume normal behavior. As a side note, if google had been helpful I would not have asked here.


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## o hey tyler (May 25, 2013)

At this point I think it's safe to say we can all agree that the bird was crip walking.


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## baturn (May 25, 2013)

This is starting to feel more confrontational than helpful. Thanks anyway.


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## o hey tyler (May 25, 2013)

baturn said:


> This is starting to feel more confrontational than helpful. Thanks anyway.



Yes, very confrontational. I'm so angry that you aren't exactly in line with my theory! 

You realize that I'm totally 100% joking and only bumping your thread in hopes that someone actually knows what it is, right?


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## Designer (May 25, 2013)

I think it is a decoy to keep predators (such as photographers) away from a nest.

Strange behavior from wild bird. Is this usual behavior? Not moving/playing dead/hurt, not reacting when

We know that killdeer and other ground-nesting birds do this, so why not these as well?


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## Designer (May 25, 2013)

And nobody had to die in this thread!


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## baturn (May 25, 2013)

Ityped a response and it disappeared! 
Tyler - sometimes I'm a bit dim, well alot of the time. will try to keep up.
To all - I am not rejecting your suggestions, but to my limmited Knowledge, mating rituals, aggresiveness and nest protection  all in volve movement. These birds are perfectly still for several minutes before resuming normal behaviour.


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## BlackSheep (May 28, 2013)

That's really strange, especially given the range of bird breeds you've seen it happen to.
Does it only happen when they are at that one location?


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## DarkShadow (May 28, 2013)

It could be a way of bringing there body temp down in warm or hot climates. http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Temperature_Regulation.html


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## Aloicious (May 28, 2013)

its hard to see what exactly they're doing in stills, but I've seen a number of birds fluff/puff themselves up in the sun, sometimes flapping/moving their wings, turkey vultures, chukars, finches, etc. I never knew what it was, we were observing some vultures doing it far off in the distance on a birding trip I was on and the biologist that was leading the group said they were simply stretching and warming themselves in the sun rays...basically relaxing. I've never seen them have their beak open when doing it, but thats kindof what it looks like to me.

Bird Sunning - Why Do Birds Sunbathe


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