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25 Things You Might Not Know About the Birds in Your Backyard
Ever wonder why woodpeckers peck where they do? Or why you never see a hummingbird on the ground?
Humans are very preoccupied with flight.
We've spent decades and billions of dollars refining air travel; we
often dream about flying
without the aid of technology. It's little wonder many of us find
ourselves fascinated with birds, who make the act seem so effortless. In
honor of National Bird Day January 5, we thought we'd take a closer
look at some facts behind our avian friends.
1. They Have a Curious Desire to Cover Themselves in Ants
While we know a lot about birds, we don’t
always understand their motivations. One example: “anting,” or the
practice of covering themselves
in living or dead ants. Cardinals are prone to the practice, allowing
ants to crawl around their bodies or stuffing ant corpses into their
feathers. One theory is that the formic acid secreted by the insects
helps rid birds of lice; ants may also help clean up dried oils left
over from preening. If ants aren't handy, birds have also been known to
use cigarette butts, beetles, and coffee.
2. Some Hummingbirds Weigh Less Than a Penny
Most people realize hummingbirds are pretty
slight of stature: Their tiny bodies allow them to take flight quickly.
While there are over 300 types of hummingbirds, the smallest species,
the Bee hummingbird, weighs in at just 2 grams—.5 grams less than a U.S. penny.
3. Woodpeckers Peck With Purpose
Contrary to what cartoons may have taught
you, woodpeckers don’t drill into trees for the sole purpose of annoying
humans. Acorn woodpeckers use their beaks to hollow out wood structures so they can store acorns, almonds, hazelnuts, and other sustenance.
4. They’ll Attack Their Reflection
Birds have been known to tap on residential
windows. It’s not to get your attention: Many migratory birds looking to
put down roots for the warmer months get territorial. When they see
themselves reflected in a window,
they can mistake it for a rival bird and begin pecking. Some homeowners
put up anti-reflective material to prevent birds from pestering
themselves.
5. Pigeons Are Art Critics
Several studies have looked at whether
pigeons can differentiate between the distinct visual stimuli found in
paintings. In one study,
the birds were presented with “good” and “bad” children’s artwork.
Positive reinforcement was used when the birds pecked at the “good”
artworks and could later identify previously-unseen paintings that met a
human standard for quality. Another study found
that pigeons could tell a Picasso from a Monet. Researchers believe the
birds can use color and pattern cues to tell two images apart.
6. They Can Nap in Mid-Air
Some birds take very long commutes during
migrating season—and like human travelers, they’re able to nap in
mid-air. For a study published in Nature Communications, researchers attached
a brain-wave activity sensor to frigatebirds and noted the birds spent
some time asleep while "cruising" in higher air currents and altitudes.
7. There’s a Reason Their Poop is White
The creamy white splatter on your windshield
is a result of a bird’s hyper-efficient waste system. Rather than have
separate intestinal and urinary tracts, birds eliminate their waste from
their cloaca, a catch-all orifice
that allows for reproductive sex and egg-laying. The white is actually
uric acid, which tinges the elimination white. The small brown center
represents stool.
8. Bassian Thrushes Use Farts To Hunt Prey
Birds may not find toots as funny as humans
do, but they still make use of them. The Australian Bassian thrush farts toward the ground, with the noxious smell helping to unearth worms and other insect prey.
9. Canyon Wrens Build Patios for Their Nests
The canyon wren isn’t always satisfied with a
nest made of foraged materials. Like a little home improvement host,
the wren will use rocks to build
a tiny, patio-like surface around the nest. Researchers aren’t entirely
sure why they do this, but it may have something to do with keeping
nests dry or attracting the opposite sex.
10. They Could Be Competitive Eaters
Your backyard may be home to a mini Nathan’s
competitive eating contest every single day. Many species of birds chow
down on an impressive number of insects, with the Baltimore oriole able
to munch 17 caterpillars a minute; a house wren can pass on 500 spiders to its offspring in a single afternoon.
11. Hummingbirds Can’t Walk
There are some compromises that have to be
made when you’re a bird that can fly backwards. To reduce drag,
hummingbirds have very tiny and non-locomoting feet. Their legs allow them to perch and shuffle sideways a bit, but they’re not designed for long walks.
12. Not All Beaks are Created Equal
A bird’s beak will vary depending
on what nature has instructed it to do. Cone-shaped beaks are perfect
for cracking nuts and seeds; a hummingbird’s long bill is ideal for
sipping nectar. Birds of prey often have hooked beaks that are perfect
for tearing into flesh and causing fatal wounds to the neck of their
next meal.
13. Little Blue Herons Have a Built-In Grooming Comb
Whether you consider the heron a backyard
bird or not may depend on whether you have a pond, but if you spot one
of these fish-chompers, try to take note of their middle toe: it has a serrated edge to it that the heron uses to groom and scratch itself.
14. Crows Can Recognize Faces
If you think your local murder of crows is out to get you, it may not be paranoia. Research conducted at the University of Washington in 2008 demonstrated
that the bird is able to recognize faces and hold a grudge when
provoked. In the study, scientists donned a caveman mask and then
trapped crows (humanely, of course) before banding and setting them
free. When the researchers walked the campus in the mask, the crows
circled and vocally scolded their suspected captor.
15. Killdeer Fake Injuries to Fool Predators
The killdeer, which is found across North
America, is the avian equivalent of a scam artist in a neck brace. The
species will feign being injured
or crippled in order to lure predators toward them and away from their
nest of offspring. When the predator gets close enough, the killdeer
miraculously “recovers” and beats a hasty retreat.
16. Blue Jays are Helping Restore Oak Trees
The vibrant blue birds are so fond of
burying acorns and other nuts that the species is being credited with an
uptick
of oak trees sprouting in North America. When they’re not busy being
conservationists, they don’t mind if you leave a few peanuts out: They
can crack the shell by holding it steady with their feet.
17. Northern Cardinals are Early Risers
These bright red birds don’t let much of the day go to waste: People with residential bird feeders report
that the northern cardinal is the first bird up in the morning and one
of the last to disappear at night. They rarely get the worm, though:
These birds prefer seeds.
18. There’s a Reason They Don’t Fall Off Branches While Sleeping
Most birds not only sleep standing up, they
do it while perched on a thin tree branch. Why don’t they fall off? The
flexor tendons in their legs make an involuntary contraction when they settle in, keeping their feet locked in place during sleep.
19. Blue Jays Can Mimic The Sound of a Hawk
The vocal ability of birds is renowned,
particularly the elocution of parrots. But the more pervasive blue jay
has a pretty good parlor trick: It can mimic
the sound of a red-shouldered hawk. In addition to terrifying humans,
the noise may help to scare off fretful birds from their territory.
20. Blue Jays Aren’t Actually Blue
Their name is a bit of a misnomer. A blue jay’s feathers are actually brown.
But thanks to light scattering, jays and other blue-tinged birds will
give off the appearance of being bolder in color. Blue light doesn’t
pass through the structure of the feather—it’s reflected. It only works
one way, though, so if you turn a feather around, you’ll see its natural
brown color.
21. Robins Have a Sweet Tooth
Worms make up the majority of their diet, but robins don’t mind if you leave out a dessert tray. The birds are partial to pastry dough, fruit cake, and coconut cake.
22. They Know How to Cool Off
In warmer climates, birds beat the heat
by spreading their wings and allowing for better air circulation.
They’ll also flutter their neck muscles—called gular fluttering—to expel
body heat.
23. Some of Them Use Tools
In a sure sign that Birdemic may one day be considered a documentary, some species of birds have been shown to use tools
in order to make their lives easier. In North America, the brown-headed
nuthatch will take a piece of tree bark and use it to pry off other
bark in search of insects. American robins will use twigs to sweep aside
leaves for the same purpose.
24. Hummingbirds are Always Starving
With fierce metabolisms brought on by
constant movement, hummingbirds are always in search of nourishment—they
require so much of it, in fact, that they’re perpetually a few hours
away from starving to death. Ruby-throated hummingbirds will eat up to three times their body weight a day.
25. They’ll Never be Movie Stars
American migratory bird species are hardly
ever depicted in movies thanks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that prevents
domestic birds from being bought or sold for commercial purposes. If
you spot a backyard bird in film or on a show, it’s either an imported
species or a computer effect. To see a jaybird, you’ll have to turn off
the TV and look out a window.
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