Backyard Wildlife: Birds

Posted on May 4, 2008  Comments (1)

photo of a bird

The last few days a bird like this one has been chasing a crow in my yard (unfortunately I have not been able to get an action picture of that). If you know what type of bird this is please add a comment.

When I see robins pecking away in the grass sometimes I see them get worms but my guess is they often are eating other stuff. I also see starlings feeding on my lawn. I found some online links that I quote below on what robins and starlings eat.

From the Yardener:

Next to beneficial insects, songbirds consume the most pest insects in your yard. Robins, blackbirds, flickers and starlings will eat a lot of webworms if they are in your lawn. Many seed-eating birds prey on caterpillars while raising their young. Encourage birds to settle in or near your yard and prey on fleas by offering them food, water, and shelter.

Related: Backyard Wildlife: Sharpshinned HawkCool Crow ResearchBackyard Wildlife: FoxBackyard Wildlife: Turtle

Cornell University: American Robin

The American Robin eats both fruit and invertebrates. Earthworms are important during the breeding season, but fruit is the main diet during winter. Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day; they eat earthworms early in the day and more fruit later in the day.

History And Biology Of European Starlings In North America

Starlings are not the only culprits attacking the berries but they are an important part of the bird pest problem. Knowing the ravenous appetite of starlings for fruit and berries late in the year, it is somewhat surprising that they mostly eat insects during the summer. At least some of their eating habits can be considered as beneficial since they are the most effective enemy of clover weevil in North America. They also eat cutworms, Japanese beetles, other beetles, grasshoppers, ants, bees, wasps, millipedes, spiders, earthworms, salamanders, garbage, fruit and seeds.

One Response to “Backyard Wildlife: Birds”

  1. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Backyard Wildlife: Crows
    November 12th, 2008 @ 9:40 pm

    […] is an action shot of a bird diving at a crow in my backyard, presumably to get the crow to leave. I noticed this for going on for several weeks (follow link for better view of the dive-bombing bird). The crow didn’t seem to mind too much […]

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