Dunnocks Don't Date

Dunnock - Prunella modularis 

Dunnocks are a species of bird where the females are polyandrous. This means they mate with multiple males during one breeding season. The level of paternal uncertainty increases as males are unsure of how many other males the females has already mated with. From this the term sperm competition arises. Male dunnocks will peck at a females cloaca, urging her to eject the sperm from a previous male before mating.

Because of this method of competition between the males they invest little in extravagant plumage and so look very similar to the females.

A great video that explains this reproductive strategy can be found following the link below:

http://bbc.in/1DNwT3M

Despite this strategy being rather uncommon it can even be found in certain human groups. Females ensure resources from different males to her offspring by copulating with multiple males as each male knows there is a chance the offspring could be his own. This seems like quite an effective strategy but only if there is no way of the male finding out exactly which are his offspring. It relies on good female deceit, in the 'selfish gene' terms.

(The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a great book - read it!)

Great tit

Great tit - Parus Major

The Great tit is the largest bird in the tit family with very distinctive plumage. Their white cheeks stand out against their black crown and throat. Their backs are a yellowish green and their feathers a blue-grey. Their yellow bellies dashed by a black stripe down the middle. It is easy to spot and identify these once you have seen them once or twice.

It is common in bird species for the male to have a more elaborate plumage than the female as it is a display of good fitness and therefore a good mating partner. However in great tits, as with some other bird species, the plumage between sexes does not differ too drastically. Identifying sexes is still quite easy, as in males the black belly stripe extends passed the cloaca whereas in females it falls short about halfway down the belly. Determining age is a little more difficult as it relies on the judgement of shades of colour on the wing. Different species of bird molt feathers at different ages and a different number of times. The great tit molts from a dull grey to a pale blue on its wings. A bird found with predominantly grey-ish feathers is therefore a young bird, and a bird with predominantly blue-ish feathers is an older bird.

Great tits eat an array of things from insects to seeds to berries and occupies more northern ranges; as far north as southern Scandinavia, as far south as Algeria, as far east as Siberia and as far west as Morocco. They are known to be monogamous and to hold territories which they protect through the breeding season. 

Owl You Need is Love!

In late July 2012 I went for a short road trip through central Kenya. I started in Samburu National Reserve and went through Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Aberdare National Park and Lake Naivasha before returning home. The wildlife was unbelievable! From African wild dogs to Verreaux eagle-owls, African elephants to chimpanzee – I was spoilt for choice! 

In Naivasha I was lucky enough to get up close to a young African wood owl. Barely bigger than a bag of flour, it perched motionless, beautiful big brown eyes endlessly staring. 

African wood owl - Strix woodfordii 

The colour of their iris is a tell-tale sign to when they prefer to hunt; black/brown are nocturnal, orange are crepuscular and yellow are diurnal but, like in most areas of life, there are a few exceptions to this rule.

I learnt this cool fact on Wednesday evening as I embarked on a bat walk around the lake at the University of East Anglia. I also learnt that there are three species of owl that frequent the University campus; the Tawny owl, the Little owl, and the more elusive Barn owl. I hope I am lucky enough to get as close to these three species in the years I spend here.


A whole new world of animals and plants to discover – how exciting!