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Do Birds Get Ocd?
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We have a Long Tailed Tit in our garden that appears to have OCD - we call it RAFA.
It flies repeatedly between a perch, a garden seat and the transom windows and door handle on the garden room, precisely following a complex pattern every time. It pecks at the glass on the windows, but not the door. It does this for long periods from dawn to dusk.
At first I thought it was mistaking it's own reflection for another bird, as many often do, but not for almost two weeks....
It flies repeatedly between a perch, a garden seat and the transom windows and door handle on the garden room, precisely following a complex pattern every time. It pecks at the glass on the windows, but not the door. It does this for long periods from dawn to dusk.
At first I thought it was mistaking it's own reflection for another bird, as many often do, but not for almost two weeks....
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I wonder if it is checking its route each time looking for trouble (i.e. cats) in hiding? and are there the very minute spiders hatching on the last window that he/she is picking at? Does it fly away after one go and return swiftly (i.e. fly off to feed partner on nest) ? I would like to know as well as they are lovely birds.
Julia-Mag
No, it's not feeding young, it barely takes time to feed itself, on a nearby fatball. There are no spiders or anything else, it just hammers on the glass hundreds of times a day.
It's like watching Rafa Nadal on serve, only noisier. It only flies 3 metres to a perch and then repeats the whole ritual carefully.
It does take rest periods down the garden presumably to clear it's head.
Nb. there are plenty of other birds about, including other Long Tail Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits etc.
No, it's not feeding young, it barely takes time to feed itself, on a nearby fatball. There are no spiders or anything else, it just hammers on the glass hundreds of times a day.
It's like watching Rafa Nadal on serve, only noisier. It only flies 3 metres to a perch and then repeats the whole ritual carefully.
It does take rest periods down the garden presumably to clear it's head.
Nb. there are plenty of other birds about, including other Long Tail Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits etc.
Almost certainly thinks that the reflection is another LTT. It's quite common for birds, especially as we get close to mating time to attack reflections. Try covering the window with something that will disrupt the reflection such as cling film. I have known people cover their window with paper and the LTT just pecked its way through the paper thinking the bird was hiding behind it
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