.
Some birds will feed on their own. Most hawks and eagles are solitary hunters. Sometimes birds will band together
for safety since there are more eyes looking Birders often identify bird species by their
beaks, which dictate what and where they eat.
·
Birds are always busy finding food and eating.
Particularly in cooler
weather. Birds burn energy very quickly – in fact,
the smaller the bird, the faster
they burn it. Thus smaller birds
need to eat much more often. Each type of bird
has a particular way of locating
and taking their food.
Mother Nature solves the
overwhelming demand, and possible competition, for
food within the avian kingdom by
having different species eat at unique times of
the day and night, at different
depths of water, at varying heights in the
trees, and even at different
places within trees and shrubs.
Some birds will feed on their own. Most hawks and eagles are solitary hunters.
Other birds of the same species or
even different species will group together
to seek out a meal. Think of
the large groups of robins, grackles, and
sparrows you may easily spy,
dining on the insects and seeds in neighborhoods.
Some birds learn that it pays to
get help from other kinds of animals. If you live near farmland,
look for Cattle Egrets near
grazing cattle who will gobble up multitudes of insects
stirred up by the cows. Other
birds will eat off insects from other animals, such as
deer, who are relieved to be rid of
the bugs.
for predators. Flocks of terns can be
seen diving and confusing the
school of fish, thus allowing the flock to catch
more fish! Other species, such as
stilts and avocets, may form huge formations
and beat the water with their
beaks, causing the very confused fish and even
bugs to come to the surface,
allowing all of the birds to more easily catch a meal
and fill their stomachs. Groups of
White Pelicans will drive fish into more shallow
water by beating their wings in
the water while swimming.
Northern Cardinal's heavy/strong beak tells you it's a seed eater
 |
| The Red-breasted Nuthatch (with a narrow beak) eats insects while going DOWN a tree trunk |
·
· Owen Yost, in addition to blogging,
is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas
for over 30 years. He is a member of the
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of
Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife
Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement
award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com
