Agressive Willow Warbler (2 Viewers)

[Mono]

Was round a friends house this morning. I was watching the well visited bird feeders when a Willow Warbler flew onto them. It then flew at every bird in turn driving them off. For the next 5 minutes or so it sat on top of the feeder pole and drove off every bird that tried to visit, including nuthatches. It never used the feeders it just defended its spot. Then it flew off and was gone.

I've never before even seen Willow Warblers on feeders let alone seen such territorial displays. It was just plain odd.

 

[KenM]

Must have been some spectacle!
Thanks for sharing, Willow Warblers here, often chase and are chased in turn by mostly Blue Tits, zooming round fast and furiously, as you say somewhat atypical behaviour! 👍

 

[Richard Prior]

I see this behaviour every Autumn from Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, they punch above their weight sometimes even having a go at Great Tit. Strangely I never see Spring birds doing this, perhaps it’s young birds?

 

[Himalaya]

I saw a Chiffchaff having a go at a Robin. Thankfully the Robin wasn't seeing red!

 

[John goshawk]

I started a post on this yesterday and was directed here.
My post goes...
'Have been watching some interesting behaviour in my garden and the surrounding gardens.
A Willow Warbler is always in company of a large flock of blue-tits and long tailed tits.
However if any other bird joins the party, the Willow Warbler is very aggressive at driving the bird away. This includes great tits/coal tits or finches.'
I find everything about Willow Warblers utterly fascinating. Once held a dead one in my hand as a child. I think it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen...in the bird world atleast.
John

 

[John goshawk]

Can anyone offer an explanation to this? Perhaps the willow warbler seess the great tit as a more dominant bird, a threat to its own position in the blue-tits hierarchy?

 

[Richard Prior]

I don’t think so, in my experience they will chase all the other Tit species., ‘crests etc that are in the vicinity up to and including Great Tit, I assume they try to protect an imaginary feeding territory from the competition, as I mentioned above I don’t see this happen in Spring.

 

[John goshawk]

The bird I saw was 'socialised' with the long tailed tits and blue tits. I assume it went with them everywhere for protection from sparrowhawks etc. I watched them with Binoculars for about 30mins. However no other bird was allowed to join!