(AL) Every year, we are contacted by people reporting sightings of a rather exotic-looking bird with an orange crown. While its absence from most Irish field guides might lead you to believe that this is a rare species, more often than not, this bird is a Starling that has been busy feasting on the nectar of a plant called New Zealand Flax.
Starling beaks have the perfect shape and length to dig into the plant’s tube-shaped flowers and access the nectar. When they emerge from their feast, the feathers on their crown are often stained with pollen, hence the bird’s orange crown! The birds then go on to pollinate other New Zealand Flax plants. House Sparrows and Blue Tits have also been recorded visiting these plants.
