Hi, yes, you down there!

A Common Tailorbird wants your attention

I need some feedback on this new mating dance sequence I’m working on. It’s based on this ‘twerking’ thing people do. What? Only females do it. Oh. Back to basics I suppose. That’ll save me some time which will help with the nest-making. Why do they call me Tailorbird? Because I sew leaves together with plant fibres to make a deep cup-like nest. What’s really cool is that the leaves don’t die and stay green. Good camouflage! You can tell by my greenish upper body plumage, rust coloured forehead and crown that I love camo eh?

Fun Facts

I love singing too! You can hear me do my popular hit cheeup-cheeup-cheeup all the time. Usually I’m in the undergrowth when I do this. I’m shy, that’s why I love camo. Also, the undergrowth is a great place to forage for insects. I also love nectar so I hang out around flowers too. As you can see, I love a lot of things, but there’s one thing I hate - Cuckoos. They think it’s ok to lay eggs in another bird's nest. They’re very crafty and lay eggs that are blue and white just like our eggs. When they hatch we have to feed all those chicks and the parents don’t help! How rude. Anyways, thanks for stopping by, come back anytime for another chat.

Story of the Photo

These shy birds are found in most parts of Sri Lanka and can usually be located by following their loud calls. Dilum did just that, whilst taking a walk around the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Wilpattu and got this curious shot of a Common Tailorbird.