Which bird did YOU see shadow boxing? Click HERE!
Why do birds peck at mirrors? Why do they repeatedly fly into windows? This website aims to be a central hub for everything related to avian shadow boxing, the putative defence of territory or resources by a bird against a perceived intruder due to confrontation with its own reflection. In 2013, Joël Roerig published a paper that summarised the literature on the topic worldwide and analysed some new data from southern Africa.
On this website you can DOWNLOAD the Ornithological Observations paper, browse a DATABASE with 509 records of 230 bird species (78 families) shadow boxing, check a selected list of REFERENCES and contribute to our knowledge by SUBMITTING one or more records via a simple web form – it will just take one minute! (Last updated on 19 November 2023)
Click on the images above to read an ARTICLE (pdf) on shadow boxing in the Summer 2014/2015 edition of Wild magazine, including marvellous illustrations by watercolour artist, the late Duncan Butchart.
Which bird did YOU see shadow boxing? Click HERE!
Shadow boxing 