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Articles

Vol. 29 No. 4 (1998)

UNMATED MALE CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER FEEDS FLEDGLING BUSHTITS

Submitted
September 20, 2025
Published
October 1, 1998

Abstract

There are numerous examples of interspecific feeding in birds (Skutch 1961, 1987; Shy 1982; Welty and Baptista 1988:362). Skutch (1960) described a female Tropical Gnatcatcher (Polioptila plumbea) in Costa Rica that abandoned helping her mate build a nest in order to tend to a brood of Golden-hooded Tanagers (Tangara larvata) in a nearby nest. However, there are no published accounts of this kind of behavior in the California Gnatcatcher (P. californica), except in cases involving the brood-parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) (e.g., Braden et al. 1997). This note documents one such event.

References