I learn mostly about animals by observing their behavior. I ask questions wherever I can, in fact, I run the risk of being that annoying question person. But I do have enormous curiosity about everything... Of course it can led me to Google a little and read up in books. But I don't have much spare time.
In this case, I've observed a strange call in the long tailed Grackle. Only see it in the males (females are brown, males are the irridescent indigo blue-black you see below). I assumed it was a kind of mating call, since many males puff up what they've got to impress a female. But while sometimes another grackle is nearby, it's usually another male. So one might assume that it's a fighting posture -- again, another reason to make ones self bigger. But I've never witnessed a fight ensue. The call is also different. If you look here as the grackle comes up behind the chicken, it makes a mechanical sound, like someone's turing on a loudspeaker to test it before an announcement.
Or you have this other sound... more of a wind up noise. Sorry in advance for the wind in the microphone.... but I got a better shot of one doing it by complete chance.
Both time the bird inflates fully and opens it's beak, the noise comes out and he deflates to less than half the size, then... nothing. I've also tried to figure out if this only happens at certain times of the day or the year, without much luck... Anyone out there with answers? Clues even?
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