Long-tailed leaf warbler: Bird tailor
Zou Guiping
There is a clever little bird in Guangdong, often hiding in the dense bushes, emitting a crisp and bright "chirping" chirp, so that people can only hear its sound, not see its birds. When you see it, you find it jumping left and right, jumping up and down, like an ADHD baby, constantly twisting and turning, swinging its long tail. This lively and active bird is the long-tailed slit-leaf warbler.
Long-tailed slit leaf warbler
The long-tailed slit leaf warbler is small in size and vigilant by nature, always giving people a feeling of inaccessibility. The first time I observed this little bird in East Lake Park, it jumped restlessly on a mango tree, leaving only a white belly and a pair of tender red paws for my shot.
As soon as this timid bird saw humans approaching, it would plunge into the dense bushes or leafy branches next to it, and quickly hide. They are like magicians among birds, using simple blindfolds to steal beams and pillars from bushes or branches, and escape without waiting for humans to find out. Sometimes it will fly directly out of the tens of meters, landing behind a row of bushes or a wall, and when you chase it suspiciously, it has long disappeared without a trace.
The long-tailed leaf warbler is a wayward bird, willing to be close to humans, all depending on its thoughts. I had the privilege of having two intimate encounters with the long-tailed leaf warbler and finally shortened the distance to less than 2 meters. Strangely enough, both of these encounters were when I was concentrating on photographing the plant when it suddenly broke into my field of vision without a sound. Maybe it's because it's keenly aware that I don't have malicious intent, or maybe it wants to find some excitement for a dull life, like crazy humans who want to play extreme sports.
In fact, in the world of birds, the more you chase, the more desperately it dodges; and when you start to entertain yourself, it will jump in front of you unexpectedly. Several times, I saw the long-tailed slit leaf warbler fly into the office, walking on the tile floor with a big swing, and then flying indifferently to the whiteboard hanging on the wall, watching every move of the whole room like a leader patrol.
The long-tailed leaf warbler is like a mischievous child, tirelessly playing a game of hide-and-seek with humans. Perhaps only when it is eating will it slightly unguard its defenses, allowing humans to take the opportunity to look at its dignity. For a long time, I had been identifying the long-tailed leaf warbler with a pair of tender red claws as some kind of willow warbler, but once, while it was feeding on the soft leaf thorn sunflower tree, I secretly caught a glimpse of its brownish hair on the top of its head, dark green on its back, brown tail feathers, and no long eyebrow lines of a willow warbler.
Once, a long-tailed slit-leaf warbler landed on the branch of the short-spiked fishtail sunflower, turned to see me, and immediately flew to a branch a little farther away. I pretended to be calm, kept still, and it began to relax, so I scratched my head, looked left, looked right, twisted my head, cocked my ass. Is it protesting that I disturbed it? I think it was probably salivating at the fruit of the tree, but at my behemoth, I didn't dare to eat it unscrupulously.
When the green fruit on the fish tree turns red, the long-tailed slit leaf warbler will join the army of red-eared plovers and embroidered birds, break the outer skin of the fish wood fruit on the branches, and peck at the fresh flesh of it. Sometimes it also feeds on small insects, as well as pollen from plants. Many times, the long-tailed leaf warbler moves in pairs, shouting foraging trumpets while feeding on plants non-stop. When there is hostility, one breath is exhaled, and then the husband sings with the woman, and both return to hiding.
Eat the fruit of the fish wood
The most amazing thing about the long-tailed leaf warbler is its superb nesting skills. It can sew leaves to build nests, so it is known as the "tailor bird", which is also the meaning of the English name common tailorbird. According to the observation of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, the long-tailed slit leaf warbler will use its sharp beak to peck out a row of small holes in the edge of the leaves, and then use thin grass stems, spider silk, etc. to make a line to stitch the leaves together, and each time it is sewn "a stitch", it will tie a knot to prevent the nest from loosening and falling off. Finally, it fills the nest with twigs, grass, animal hair, cotton wool, etc., to create a warm and comfortable nursery.
I haven't seen the nest of the long-tailed leaf warbler yet, and I look forward to having such an opportunity in the future.