ML459190321

Observation details

At one particular spot we witnessed 2 to 4 birds repeatedly interacting and fighting with each other. Behavior included direct attacks with birds fluttering and fighting in flight. There were also multiple instances of observing one individual fleeing while another one was chasing it by following it at a very short distance (about half a meter) through fast, direct flight, mostly at very low level (1 m or less above ground). All birds had adult plumage and the fights seemed to be territorial in nature. It would seem rather early for young birds to be already in adult plumage and being chased away by adults, but also unusual for adult couples that should have well-defined territories year-round to be fighting in this way. At this location one bird (a presumed male) was constantly singing from different perches, usually rather tall (6-7 meters minimum) and moving in circles around the area. One presumed female was seen feeding nearby and was also observed joining the singing bird and the two foraged and moved around together. They appeared and disappeared from sight but came back to the same spots repeatedly. The male could also be heard singing from a distance even though it wasn't always visible. Birds were observed foraging and singing from 1 meter tall shrubs to about 25-30 meters tall pine trees. No juveniles were observed at any location throughout the morning. More notes regarding aggressive behaviour between Pink-headed Warblers during the month of June can be found in this checklist: ebird.org/checklist/S10904198

Additional species

• Crescent-chested Warbler Oreothlypis superciliosa