Sequence of a Western Kingbird Casting A Pellet

Birds typically eject pellets very quickly and this Western Kingbird was no exception.

 

western kingbird 2485 ron dudley

 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Three days ago on Antelope Island I was mostly watching it through my lens rather than photographing it because it had its back to me. Here the bird looked over its shoulder as if to see if I was watching…

 

 

western kingbird 2517 ron dudley

 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

and then it began to retch. In times like this I’m glad for the 10 frames/sec burst rate of the Canon 7D Mark II because it allows me to catch more of the fast action than I used to be able to capture. It happens so quickly that I often don’t even know if I’ve got the pellet in frame as it falls away until I’ve reviewed my images.

 

 

western kingbird 2518 ron dudley

 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

This time I got it.

 

 

western kingbird 2519 ron dudley

   1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

In fact I got it twice, though it isn’t very sharp in the second shot.  Different species have varying styles in casting pellets. In some the pellet mostly drops in front of them but Western Kingbirds seem to fling it away from them by violently shaking their heads.

 

 

western kingbird 2528 ron dudley

 1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

Immediately after the pellet was ejected the bird seemed to perform a celebratory dance on top of the twig before it flew off.

Birds Of North America Online says that they have “no information” on pellet casting in Western Kingbirds but I’ve photographed the behavior three times over the years. Several years ago I sent them a link to some images demonstrating pellet casting in the species and they asked to use the images on their site, which I allowed, but as of this morning they apparently still haven’t used them and the text still reads “no information”.

Perhaps they’ll change it on their next scheduled update of the Western Kingbird species account.

Ron

 

 

23 Comments

  1. Great shots. I particularly enjoyed the one where you caught the pellet the first time.

  2. Better out than in. A phrase my mother used often – with a great deal less relevance than it would have for the Kingbird. I too would be doing a celebratory dance after ejecting that.

    • “Better out than in”

      Your mother was a wise woman, EC. And better out the north end of the bird than the south end – that kind’a roughage (insect exoskeletons) would hurt…

  3. super cool! i didn’t know songbirds cast pellets too….(I’m a raptor
    gal 😉 so not so knowledgable about the little feathered ones….
    thanks as always for your fantastic photos Ron….they are a gift every
    time I see them on my computer!

    • ” i didn’t know songbirds cast pellets too”

      Quite a few birds do, Karen – see the partial list I provided below in response to a comment by Patty Chadwick.

  4. Amazing shots! When I lived out Colorado I loved watching them.

  5. Patty Chadwick

    I think he’s saying, “WOW! that was a biggy!”, in the second frame…and I agree!

  6. Patty Chadwick

    Seems like a big pellet for a small bird. Looks like bird is saying, “I feel much better, now!” In last frame. I didn’t realize so many different birds did this. I learn something new in every blog….

    • Patty, a whole lot of species cast pellets. Here’s a partial list: grebes, cormorants, herons, vultures, hawks, falcons, shorebirds, gulls, terns, kingfishers, kingbirds, crows, ravens, jays, dippers and shrikes.

      • Patty Chadwick

        WOW!!! Who knew!!!!????

        • Patty Chadwick

          I never saw any of my birds do this…couple of crows, a screech owl, GHO, others…knew my owls did this, but never saw it happen…probably saw the “evidence”, but bet I thought it came out the “backdoor”…Boy! How I wish I knew then some of the things I know now…through your blogs, Mia’s and Jerry’s!!! I was aboit as smart as a rock!!!

  7. Charlotte Norton

    Wonderful series Ron!
    Charlotte

  8. It’s great that you have a camera that’s a good match for bird behaviors like this. I enjoy getting to see behaviors I would not otherwise have a chance at. Even with the snapshot photography that I do, a fast camera makes a huge difference in what I’m able to capture. This is a beautiful series (although I almost wish I hadn’t looked at it just before breakfast…).

    • “a fast camera makes a huge difference in what I’m able to capture”

      It often makes a very big difference, Susan – especially with birds because they’re so darned fast.

      Hope you were able to enjoy your breakfast!

  9. Great observation and capture. Good for you sharing the info…hope it gets recognition!

  10. Amazing sequence, Ron!!!

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