Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One of my monitors was basking near a window yesterday, causing the birds outside to make a huge ruckus, and this got me thinking. Many of the native birds in this area, and some of the introduced ones (particularly Indian mynahs) harrass monitors whenever they see them. Here in the city, one of my monitors basking near a window will cause native noisy miners and introduced mynahs to swoop at the window or land on the ledge and let out alarm cries. The monitors respond with instinctive flinching, even if they are a fair distance from teh window. Out in the bush, there have been a couple of occasions where my attention has been drawn to a monitor only because of the noise and action of birds. It would make sense if this were an instinctive reaction to potential nest robbers (even the mynah would encounter monitors in its native habitat, but they're aggressive birds regardless), although I can't say for certain that they wouldn't respond like this to ANY reptile, potentially harmful or not. Some of the native birds will react in a similar way to cats, which aren't native.

So, my question is this. For those of you who live in the US or Canada, how do the local birds react when they see one of your monitors outside, or even through a window? For those of you living in states where Indian mynahs have been introduced (I know they are in southern California and Hawaii, probably Florida and Texas I imagine), do they kick up a particularly big stink?

I have not seen a bird react to my monitor yet. But I have watched the monitor flinch when birds fly over. He always watches, he even sees the airplanes, believe it or not.

Almost from horizon to horizon, whether its a balloon airplane bird etc. They also see it long before we can. Try it once monitors have great vision.

the one monitor that I have taken outside on a regular basis will react to planes, even at an extreme distance, by freezing (while following it with his eye), but does not react the same way to helicopters. I think it's an instinctual thing having to do with birds of prey. Planes, with their wings, trigger the response but helicopters lack visible spread wings.

The funniest thing I have seen was when a pelican was soaring above my place. The monitor really froze that time, since pelicans have a wingspan and soaring style similar to an eagle. Then a small Indian mynah landed a metre away and let out a squawk and the monitor just about jumped out of his skin. It was like someone screaming out 'booo!'

The noise from mocking birds and blue jays and kill deer bother her a bit (I think shes more fascinated by the loud bird hiding in the trees or hanging upside down screaming unknown obscenities at her). Hawks, and one eagle caught her attetion as well as my ackie (I was holding him), the eagle flew into their view and Sobek hid in a lilac bush as they both stared until it was gone, you couldnt interupt them at all).

Some react some dont. English sparrows react with curiosity (stroll right on up to them), they are invasive species. The mocking birds and cat birds are afraid and make a ton of noise when they see a monitor, they may approach to a nearby tree but very nervous. Robins seem to be facinated by monitors from spring through part of summer then loose interest. Blac capped chickadees are facinated, but will mostly hang upside down from a tree checking them out and sometimes get onto the ground. Doves seem facinated for a few months also. Blue jays and Kill-deers get noisey and defensive. Hawks seem to have lost interest years ago (I guess they are the same hawks that have been here for a long time).Some afraid some not.

clearly, then, no strong reaction like the birds here. These ones hone in and screech. My neighbours know when one of my monitors is basking near a window because of the noise outside the window, with half a dozen birds screaming away.

Well the birds here in Philly seem to pay them no mind in particular as they aren't reconized as a predator. I haven't really left my varanids out w/o myself or someone else near enough to hold the leash or grab it (monitor) therefore the birds may not have a real chance to pay attention to the monitor. However w/ the predator recognition that can be said as to why the birds there react to cats in the same fashion as by now they have had bad experiences w/ cats. Ravens & crows chase off cats & hawks all the time. heck I've even seen them attack & med. sized dog that was beneath what I presume to have been a nesting tree. The whole concept is acted out all over if it is an aggressive prey species then the safety in #s rule is to unite & ward off the predator so it can't single out an individual who would then become a victim. One incident,though not avain or varanid, that comes to mind is a group of primates at my job. Now these guys would kill each other if placed in the same cage but let someone they don't know enter the room. They make alarm calls & will defend all other members of the troop. I watched them grab the arm of another tech. as she tried to get another primate out of the cage across from them. Sparrows here will also mob hawks & cats occasionally.

While I am sure their are many reasons for this type of behavior(s). I find its usually related to birds protecting their, nests, nesting areas, branchers(babies out of the nest), and at times, over hormoned male birds soon to be exbirds. hahahahahaha.

Its normally confined to spring or whatever the nesting season is. At times its aimed at whatever type predator has captured a bird, see pic.

Its very true that Lacies are strong bird predators, they know what birds, nests, eggs, are and how to find them. F

I agree that the behaviour is based on defending nests from a potential nest predator, but some birds here (noisy miners in particular, possibly even the mynahs) will display this behaviour whenever they see a monitor, regardless of season or whether they have an active nest. They'll swoop if they see one of my monitors through the window in winter.

What's also interesting is the coordinated way in which they call eachother to attack. One bird gives the alarm cry and soon the whole flock appears to drive off the predator. Sometimes two different species will respond to the call (miners and mynahs).

While I have not seen this type of thing as commonly as you have, I do think, you must consider the number of lacies/other large monitors, out and the kneeness of birds eyesight. If they mobbed everytime they saw monitors or snakes, it would be a very very common event to view. It would be something you would see many many times a day. On the right days of course.

I only wonder why I seen so many snakes and monitors and rarely see birds mobbing. Also, thru out the tropicial islands mongoose are very common and lesser mynahs are also very common, yet, I have missed out on them mobbing too.

Around here, I see lots and lots of snakes, almost daily in the summer, and I can recollect seeing a flock of many species of birds on a coachwhip, once in the last few years.

Do you have any ideas why that is?

On a side note, a few years ago, I was at my sink area in the monitor building and was looking out in the desert. Then I saw an adult diamondback crawling across an open area. The funny part was, he had a gambils quail following intently close behind. Thanks F

I don't know why you have noticed it rarely, Frank. Don't take this as an insult (it isn't intended as one) but perhaps I am more familiar with the local bird sounds and am therefore more in tune to unusual sounds (like their alarm calls). Australian birds make strange sounds as it is, so an alarm call may not stand out as being unusual if you don't hear the normal sounds daily.

I agree that it doesn't happen with every monitor every day, but it is very far from a rare occurrance and, as I have said, I have seen it at different times of the year. The behaviour may be stronger in the nesting season, but it isn't restricted to the nesting season. Perhaps it has more to do with nesting territories than nesting seasons.

Last weekend I was watching a magpie swooping on a monitor. As you would know, our magpies (bell magpies, no relation to your native magpies) are notorious for swooping on humans anywhere near their nest. Every year, during nesting season, there are photographs in the papers of school kids wearing icecream buckets on their heads with eyes painted on the back to deter attacks. The magpie I saw on the weekend did not swoop on me before the monitor arrived or after it left. Perhaps the magpie gets fed by people and doesn't attack people any more, who knows.

Hi Dk,
Great discussion. My female 6'2" albigularis used to sit in the window and watch the robins and pigeons all day - the birds pirch on my window sill and watch this dragon watch them - she was it seemed more curious in the movement of the birds and foliage than in the birds themselves...now my 5' male argus monitor was another story. He would tripod in the window and watch the birds on my sun porch and go balistic - I could tell when he was looking at birds and the glass windows were shaking and sounding like a 1930's Thompson machine gun with pop-pop-pop-pop as he banged his nose on the 90 year old windows....

Also, there is a unique report in "Sudan Notes and Records" on the Nile River, Sudan, mobbing of a nile monitor, causing it to run with haste into the dense undergrowth away from the mobbing birds - they were also reported to mobb crocodiles sunning themselves on the shoreline too; Also in Senegal, near Richard Toll, Weaver birds were observed mobbing a nile monitor in 1963 as it approached and attempted its marauding behavior on the weaver bird nests perched in the tree branches....birds of a feather to mobb together!

Cheers DK,
mbayless

Funny thing, in the wetter parts of northern Australia birds just ignore monitors in the trees. I don't recall ever seeing birds make a fuss about even large monitors moving around on the ground. In drier inland areas hole-nesting birds will certainly make a ruckus about even a small monitor in their nest tree, but this does not draw in a crowd. In contrast, birds will mob pythons like crazy -- you can hear the fuss from a long ways off, and there are usually lots of different species involved.

Smaller monitors in the wild are acutely aware of hawks soaring nearby, and will freeze and watch them until they're gone. I've seen V. tristis detect brown falcons that were over a quarter mile away.

One reason you don't see anything like the numbers of small monitors that are actually out there is that they can see you long, long before you can see them -- hundreds of yards in open country. They're all tucked away by the time you come along.