• Question: What was the hardest bird to catch?

    Asked by James Gannon to Sean on 8 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Sean Kelly

      Sean Kelly answered on 8 Nov 2014:


      Tough question! For my research, we study a lot of small, fast moving birds in Indonesia. One species in particular, the Wakatobi Flowerpecker, is very small and therefore difficult to catch. We use nets with really small holes in them to safely catch birds without hurting them. However, the Flowerpeckers are so small that they can sometimes just crawl through the holes in the nets when they’re caught, and then fly away. This means that as soon as they hit the net, you have to run to the net very quickly to catch them before they escape. It’s a lot of fun!

      Other than that, crows are very difficult to catch as they’re very smart. They usually quickly see where you have placed your nets and avoid them.

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