Feathering The Nest @ Wild Birds Of Australia 筑巢

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Explores the elaborate mating rituals and ingenious nest-building habits of unique Australian birds, such as the Victoria's riflebird and the cassowary, as well as rainforest architects like the golden bowerbird...  澳大利亚多样化且高度适应环境的生态系统，造就了同样丰富多样的“筑巢衬垫”与筑巢技艺

Transcript

00:05Australia, a land of diverse and often extreme habitats, with vast expanses of wetlands,

00:16dense forests and arid plains. It's populated by an immense array of bird life and many species found nowhere else

00:33in the world.

00:34Among them, some of the most flamboyant, ear-splitting and bizarre birds imaginable.

00:52Successful breeding is critical to the survival of their species.

00:57They need to go to exceptional lengths to find mates and raise their young, giving the next generation the best

01:08chance of life.

01:10This is the story of breeding season.

01:26For avian life, Australia is a paradise.

01:35There are more than 800 species of birds here.

01:43And over 370 of these are only found in Australia.

01:51But birds of a different feather don't always flock together.

01:56Some prefer to live in the rainforest, like the golden bowerbird, who builds his U-shaped nest from twigs in

02:02the hope of attracting a female.

02:05The galar is part of the cockatoo family and can be found in open country across mainland Australia.

02:16Some, like the Cape barren goose, thrive by the seaside and can drink salt water.

02:23And many share their environment with humans.

02:30But wherever they live, these birds have got their work cut out.

02:34Holding their territory against invaders.

02:38Attracting and winning partners.

02:39Shhh.

02:41Shhh.

02:42Shhh.

02:43And safeguarding their chicks.

02:45Shhh.

02:55Shhh.

02:59Shhh.

03:03Far north Queensland is famed for its beautiful beaches.

03:13And one stretch is named the cassowary coast, because it's home to one of the planet's most

03:24extraordinary looking birds, the cassowary.

03:32This is a mature female.

03:48Queensland becomes steamier and more tropical as you head further north towards the equator.

03:55And its lush rainforests are ideal habitat for the cassowary, which thrives on forest

04:01fruits.

04:09Like the Australian emu and African ostrich, she's a ratite, or flightless bird.

04:14Her flat breastbone has no keel attachment for wing muscles.

04:21It's thought that ratites evolved around 60 million years ago in the Cretaceous period.

04:28And she certainly looks prehistoric.

04:31She's solitary and usually wary of humans, and can be hard to find in the forest.

04:43And she's huge.

04:48Over six feet tall and weighing more than a hundred pounds, like all female cassowaries,

04:54she's bigger and heavier than a male, as well as more brightly coloured.

05:04In the dark, dense foliage of the jungle, the shock of electric blue on her throat, vivid

05:10turquoise around her head and eyes, and dramatic red wattle all clearly identify her as a mature,

05:16breeding female.

05:23Comparatively little is known about this species.

05:27There are several theories about the purpose of the curious crest on her head, called a cask.

05:34Although it looks hard and horn-like, it's actually leathery and pliable, formed by a keratin shell growing

05:41over spongy cranial bones and enclosing a mysterious empty chamber.

05:50Cassowaries are omnivores and feed on fruit, beetles, insects, snails and even carrion.

05:57One theory is that the cask helps them forage and serves as a helmet as they dig through dense

06:03undergrowth.

06:11It may also protect the head from falling fruit, be used as a sound amplifier or even

06:17a weapon in disputes.

06:25The cask continues to grow for life and could also advertise a bird's status and age.

06:34Like the cassowary herself, the cask remains steeped in mystery.

06:44This female has a home range that overlaps and passes through that of several males, who

06:50will each have their own territory of almost three square miles.

07:01It's August, breeding season for this big bird, but she's already parted from her mate.

07:08She recently paired up with this male and laid his eggs, but that's the end of their time together.

07:18Female cassowaries don't raise their young, instead they leave it up to the male to incubate

07:23the eggs and later on care for the chicks.

07:27She can have several partners over a four-month breeding season, and she's already on the lookout

07:33for another mate.

07:46The cassowary isn't the only Australian bird to have parenting arrangements like this.

08:15This is a male brush turkey.

08:17This is a male brush turkey.

08:22He's part of the megapode family, literally meaning large foot.

08:28He also lives in the rainforest in Cairns, far north Queensland.

08:35Brushed turkeys are very adaptable and can be found all along the eastern coast of Australia.

08:42By September, springtime in Australia, the brushed turkey is hard at work preparing a nest.

08:53He'll spend all day, every day, scratching around in one spot on the forest floor.

09:01He may stop for a quick feed on insects, but then it's back to work.

09:11He piles up leaf litter, twigs and earth into a mound.

09:15This will play a vital part in his breeding strategy.

09:22He rakes up the layer of debris on the forest floor with his strong legs and large feet and adds

09:29it to his little hillock.

09:34Then he turns over the existing pile again and again, breaking it down into a fine compost.

09:44If all goes to plan, this will become a warm nest.

09:58He's an average size for a brushed turkey, around 26 inches long, but the mound he's obsessively working on will

10:06end up being a whopping 13 feet wide and between 3 and 6 feet high.

10:23And it's got to be good.

10:26Females roam around selecting multiple partners and won't mate with him if his mound isn't up to their standards.

10:36So a lot's riding on its meticulous construction.

10:40The brushed turkey is a relatively common bird and there are already several females in the vicinity who have smaller,

10:48paler wattles.

10:49They're regularly checking out his progress and will wait until the mound is complete before deciding whether to mate with

10:56him.

10:57But right now, this brushed turkey is only interested in one thing.

11:04His mound.

11:09While he's still working on his masterpiece, he doesn't want anyone near it, male or female, and sends out a

11:16warning to any other brushed turkeys in the vicinity.

11:22Stay away.

11:37Stay away.

11:37In the elevated Atherton tablelands of northern Queensland, higher and cooler than their often sweltering surroundings,

11:46it's October and breeding time for a very exotic bird.

11:53This is the Victoria's rifle bird, named after the British Queen, but is known as the Doo doo doo to

11:59the Aboriginal tribes people.

12:03he's a bird of paradise a fairly small bird at around 10 inches long he has an iridescent

12:13sheen to his feathers his breeding season can last up to six months so he's got to

12:24keep his strength up by eating fruits and insects he digs out of the bark of trees

12:40snack over it's time to get back to business attracting a mate

12:49he's got a core area between two to seven acres where he spends most of his time within that space

12:56he selects a conspicuous vantage point like a tree stump as his display area having a good location

13:12to display in is all part of his strategy to get the females interested so he's territorial over his

13:19posing post usually his stage will be under a gap in the canopy cover so that the sunlight can stream

13:27a spotlight to reveal his glowing feathers to their best advantage and then he blasts out his mating call

13:40it's loud and unmistakable this raspy cry is just to make sure he gets the attention of any female that

13:48might be nearby before launching into his pièce de résistance

14:06it's a dramatic full wingspread display that shows as much of his plumage as possible erecting his

14:14feathers before throwing out his wings is part of the act and so is opening his beak wide to show

14:23the bright

14:24yellow interior he keeps going hoping to pique the interest of a female and finally he's graced with an

14:46audience unlike the male with his glorious plumage female rifle birds are a dull brown

15:01but after just a few seconds she loses interest and flies off

15:11it's thought the females may base their mating choices on quality of display so perhaps this male needs to brush

15:18up his skills

15:33while his display is impressive this is Australia home of the fantastic so there's another bird that can

15:41win a showing off contest with the rifle bird hands down

15:50the lyre bird

15:58lyre birds live in temperate often wet woodland in the coastal southeast of Australia

16:08this one has made his home in a forest outside Melbourne in the southern state of Victoria

16:15they're clumsy flyers and spend most of their time on the ground

16:21both the males and the females are a reddish brown and have powerful legs with long toes ideal for raking

16:28over the leaf litter and soil looking for food such as cockroaches spiders and worms

16:38a male lyre bird will also use leaf litter and earth to build a display mound to dance on

16:45he may have over a dozen of these in his territory

16:50at first glance he may seem unremarkable

16:54but as mating season approaches during the winter months the male reveals his amazing talents

17:1228 inch long feathers fan out from his tail which he drapes over his head in a waterfall formation

17:28the male will start getting his display feathers when he's around three years old

17:33and these get gradually longer every year until he hits sexual maturity at around seven

17:39the more mature the male the longer his tail feathers

17:5112 silvery fluffy feathers bookended by two thick banded feathers called lyrates and two long slender

17:59medium feathers make for a show-stopping performance

18:15and if that isn't enough to thrill the ladies his song is one of the most extraordinary of any creature

18:22on the planet

18:34the lyre bird can imitate almost any sound it hears including other birds and animals

18:52captive birds have even copied man-made sounds like trains camera shutters and car alarms

19:05as this male lives deep in the forest he rarely hears artificial noises and instead he's woven the calls of

19:13the other birds that he hears into his own song

19:40in all he's included the calls of 12 other species

19:45so

19:49the purpose of having such an amazing talent for impersonation is unknown but it's thought that the

19:55more complex a song the male can produce the more attractive he is to females

20:04his phenomenal ability comes from a special voice box

20:09a bird's vocal organ is called a syrinx the lyre birds is more complex than that of other songbirds which

20:17gives him extraordinary flexibility

20:36he sings for 20 minutes at a time for several hours a day until a female is attracted to him

20:43and allows him to mate

20:51to see

20:52after copulation he'll return to displaying to attract the next one

20:59the next one

21:00there's a female nearby but she isn't showing signs of being impressed by his performance

21:11and now a rival male has barged into his territory and is displaying to the same female

21:24both female and male

21:26both female and male lyre birds are fiercely territorial with an average territory of three to six acres

21:39the competition is on

21:46the resident male tries to chase the interloper out

21:51but he doesn't succeed in pushing him far away

21:59and they end up displaying within a few feet of each other

22:10it turns into a real talent show

22:37finally the resident bird manages to chase the invader out of his territory

22:43but the female has seen and heard enough

22:48today she's not interested in either of them

22:52she puts on a show of her own

22:54with no mimicry just her own beautiful song

22:59the

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23:26turkey has managed to breed and now has a clutch of up to 24 eggs buried in the depths of

23:31his mound

23:35his little hillock is now almost three feet high but he's still hard at work

23:47he's the sole custodian of these eggs

23:55because the females move around from partner to partner it's impossible for him to know whether the eggs in his

24:02mound were actually fertilized by him or another turkey

24:08the

24:09regardless of their paternity

24:10he'll tend the mound for the seven weeks it takes to incubate the eggs

24:17the heat caused by the composting action of the plant material will keep the eggs warm

24:26heat sensors in his beak enable him to determine the temperature of the mound

24:31and he'll regulate it by adding or removing material

24:37he's aiming for a temperature of between 91 and 95 degrees fahrenheit

24:43at 93 degrees there will be an equal division between male and female chicks

24:48if cooler there will be more male chicks if warmer more female chicks

24:57he'll guard the eggs until it's almost time for them to hatch and then it's all up to the chicks

25:03they must dig their way out of the mound and fend for themselves immediately

25:12brush turkey eggs and chicks are a favorite food for carnivorous lizards snakes and wild dogs

25:35and it's not just animal predators who pose a threat to the brush turkeys successful breeding

25:43rural gardens frequently back onto brush turkey habitat

25:48and the turkeys practice of making enormous breeding mounds in people's backyards

25:52can lead to these precious piles of compost being destroyed

26:03a single egg only has a one in two hundred chance of making it to adulthood

26:08so the brush turkeys eggs have still got a long way to go

26:13so

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27:15but this female lives close to a beach frequented by humans,

27:20which is far from ideal.

27:24But there are some good feeding opportunities here.

27:28These beach almonds provide a useful source of protein,

27:32along with the insects she eats in the jungle.

27:57Next to the beach is a campsite,

27:59and she's not afraid to make use of the amenities here.

28:22Cassowaries need to drink frequently.

28:28Her legs have their ankle joint equivalent to where humans have their knees,

28:33so she can bend easily to reach the water.

28:56She has clearly become used to the humans here,

28:59but this isn't a good thing.

29:03Beach-goers are warned not to feed the cassowaries.

29:09It can be dangerous for such a large animal to associate people with food.

29:19Becoming accustomed to humans can make the massive birds more aggressive.

29:36Not only is she one of the heaviest birds in the world,

29:41she's equipped with a razor-sharp five-inch dagger on her dinosaur-like inner toe,

29:47which she can use to vicious effect.

29:54A high proportion of documented attacks have been perpetrated by birds

29:59who've been fed by people.

30:06Which may be what's worrying these picnickers.

30:09But she's not born, she screams.

30:13Yeah, I think she's anny Elliott.

30:31So, I think she's an additional one.

30:31And here's the birds.

30:32They're so much- monkey's,

30:33it's just the cat.

30:34You can get a cat.

30:34Or somebody else can get a cat.

30:35They can get a cat.

30:38Oh, my God.

31:09Whenever cassowaries come out of the jungle in search of human food, the greater the

31:14risk to their survival.

31:19They're more likely to cross roads and be hit by cars.

31:24The rate at which they're the victims of road accidents is of grave concern to conservationists.

31:33Cassowaries are classified as an endangered species.

31:41Luckily she gets back to the jungle safely to look for the more typical items in her

31:46diet, insects and crucially fruit.

31:53Cassowaries are called a keystone species because of their ecological importance.

32:01They're able to swallow fruits almost whole and have what is known as a gentle digestive

32:06system, meaning that the fruits are excreted with the seeds still intact and flesh still

32:12on them.

32:18Fruits stay in the gut for less than four hours.

32:22But in that time the cassowary could move to a completely different area, distributing the

32:27fruit species more widely.

32:28So the survival of the cassowary is vital to the continuation of many other species.

32:53Fruits stay in the gut for more than four hours.

33:09In the mild climate of the woods around Melbourne, the male lyrebird is still going strong with

33:15his spectacular display.

33:41He'll spend four hours a day singing for another six weeks until the end of the breeding

33:47season, mating with as many females as he can.

33:58These birds have a division of labour that's found more frequently in the animal kingdom.

34:03Unlike the cassowary, it's the female of this species that will tend the egg and rear just

34:09one chick.

34:12Although he's busy trying to attract more partners, he's already had some success.

34:17He's mated with this female, who now has a very big job to do.

34:37She's in charge of building the nest.

34:46First on the list, gather some nesting material.

34:53She collects some moss, leaf litter, pieces of fern and twigs until she's got enough to

34:59create a cosy nest.

35:11She even uses the male's feathers to line it.

35:20It's a matter of personal preference as to where she sights her nest.

35:26Some females make their nests close to the ground, whilst others choose sights high up in the trees.

35:42Ten to fourteen days after mating, the female lays her egg.

35:47She just lays one a year, unless the egg or chick dies.

35:51If this happens and it's early enough in the season, the female can mate again and lay another

35:56egg.

36:08Six weeks later, up in the cosy but dark little nest in the tree, her chick hatches.

36:20Now it's mum's job to keep her hungry hatchling supplied with food until it can leave the nest.

36:27She must feed her chick every twenty minutes.

36:45She spends large parts of the day gathering up grubs and small insects which she carries

36:50in her throat, ready to feed to her young when she returns to the nest.

36:59Because of the rigorous feeding schedule, she will even venture out at night looking for

37:04food.

37:04A time when she's most at risk from predators like foxes and cats.

37:28Four weeks later, the lyrebird chick is fat, fluffy and healthy.

37:32With his nest being so high up in a tree, his wings need time to develop so he can fly

37:39safely

37:39out when he fletches.

37:41He'll spend ten weeks in the nest before leaving.

37:49Chicks in nests closer to the ground don't need to wait for their wings to develop as much,

37:54and will leave at around six weeks to go and live independently.

38:01While the female is tending to her hatchlings every need, the male is still putting on a performance,

38:08but with a different purpose.

38:14The males molt their tail feathers at the end of every breeding season, so he won't have

38:19his prized plumage for very much longer.

38:31At this time of year, these displays are all about defending his territory, rather than attracting

38:37a mate.

38:47Even when his tail feathers are gone, he'll still live in the same territory.

38:54He wants to keep exclusive rights to this area for the next breeding season.

39:00He'll attack anyone who dares to transgress his borders.

39:15The other male in the tree has come uncomfortably close to his patch.

39:19He may be challenging the resident male to see if he can take over his territory.

39:26The resident male responds by making his display even more robust.

39:38But it doesn't put off the intruder, who gets even closer.

39:56As things get more heated, they move further and end up down by the nearby creek.

40:04The resident male asserts his dominance by crowding and charging the trespasser, pushing

40:09him towards the edge of his territory.

40:25Finally, he gets the rival on the run.

40:35For now, his territory remains intact.

40:40For now, his territory remains intact.

41:16While the lyrebird is singing and dancing, the male cassowary has childcare duties to attend

41:23to.

41:25For now, his territory remains intact.

41:26Because in stark contrast to the lyrebird's arrangements, it's the male cassowaries who

41:31make the nest, incubate the eggs and look after the chicks.

41:40His four chicks are already around 11 weeks old.

41:44He'll stay with them for another six months, teaching them to look for food and water.

41:54They're striped for camouflage, but by six months, they'll lose their stripes and become a uniform,

42:00mousy brown.

42:06They won't begin to get their distinctive vivid colouring until they're around a year to 18 months

42:11old.

42:12Then the chicks will leave their dad's territory to establish their own.

42:22The male lives in a forest that adjoins a house and sometimes crosses the garden here,

42:27bringing his chicks with him.

42:31While three of them are robust, one of them seems to be weaker than the others.

42:38This little chick struggles to keep up.

42:42She may be sick.

42:44Infant mortality in cassowaries is very high.

42:49Predation, diseases, habitat destruction and road accidents all claim young cassowary lives.

42:57Out of these four chicks, it's likely that only one will survive to adulthood.

43:04For now, their dad takes care of their every need.

43:23It can be rainy and humid in this tropical part of the country, but today it's extremely hot.

43:3086 degrees Fahrenheit.

43:33Dad's brought his brood out here for the good foraging.

43:36But now he needs to get them out of the sun.

43:38We'll see you soon.

43:42We'll be back.

43:51We'll see you soon.

44:16When he decides to move on, the sickly little chick falls behind again.

44:30She may not make it to adulthood, but her father's attentive care would at least ensure she

44:36has the best chance of survival.

44:56The family crosses the road back into the forest.

45:09As they depart, the female cassowary appears from the forest.

45:13She may be the chick's mother, but she's free of parental obligation.

45:20She helps herself to a drink.

45:24Even though there's a chance she may run into her ex-partner and chicks, she won't take

45:29any interest in their welfare.

45:44From the tropical north to the temperate south, Australia's birds are some of the world's

45:53most singular and exotic.

45:59At every stage of the breeding season, they're hard at work.

46:10The strenuous job of attracting a mate.

46:17Defending a territory.

46:26Building a nest.

46:32And tending to vulnerable chicks.

46:36Are all fraught with danger and difficulty.

46:42These vibrant, talented and eccentric birds.

46:50All adopt their own breeding tactics to get the next generation safely on its way.

46:56The strenuous community.

46:59The strenuous belief.

47:03The strenuous creep.

47:06The strenuous thinking.

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