(Not a bird, but most likely something that a bird would find interesting!)

Bagworms, sometimes called case moths, are interesting creatures. The larvae of the moth surround themselves with a case made of silk for protection. Then they go one step further: they attach leaves and sticks to the case, making a home that looks quite weird. Some of the cases can be large: up to 12 centimetres long.

I came across just such a case recently, when walking through a burnt area of bush. (The cases are hard to spot when the bush is lush and healthy.) I guess this larva was travelling around looking for food, and found itself exposed on a black tree trunk.

This particular case was quite large, at 11 centimetres long. At the top is the patch of silk that the larva uses to attach the case to the tree. When moving around, the larva detaches from the tree, pokes its legs out at the top of the case, and drags the case around with it.

I think is is most likely a Saunders’ case moth, also called the large bagworm (Metura elongatus), which is found in eastern Australia where I live.

Here’s a view from another angle:

In the zoomed-out view, the bagworm is half way up the blackened tree trunk in the middle of the picture:

Spotted at this location in Manly Dam park, on the east coast of Australia. I’ve posted recently about other bagworms that I’ve encountered.