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| INTERESTING ODDS & ENDS Archive #8 |
| Essays / Backyard / Tips & Quiz / Links / Sightings / Conservation / Bird ID / Featured Bird / My Photos / Seasonal Spots / Home |
| INTERESTING BIRD LIFE FACTS (from Wildbird, May, June 2005 - Usually small species have shorter life spans than larger species. - Small birds require more energy “per unit mass” than larger birds. - Small birds “breathe faster, have faster heart rates and live faster-paced lives than large birds). Example: a Robin’s heart beats 570 times per minute, while a Wild Turkey’s heart rate is 93 beats per minute, and a Hummingbird’s heart beats 1200 times per minute. Also, a Hummer takes about 200-250 breaths per minute, while a Mallard only takes about 15 breaths per minute. - Species that live shorter life spans also begin breeding earlier in life. Example: most small passerines begin breeding their first year of life, while eagles and ospreys begin breeding about 3-4 years of age. |
| ”IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER" (from Cornell Lab of Ornithology) - One of world’s largest woodpeckers; Imperial WP of Mexico larger (probably extinct) - Range is mostly in southeastern & lower Mississippi valley, as far west as eastern Texas & Arkansas. - Especially loud flyer due to “stiff wing” type flight. - Mate for life and both parents incubate & raise young. - A pair’s territory is estimated at 6 square miles (uncut forest). - Primary food is beetle larvae, which birds find under bark of trees. - Few natural predators; main reason for decline was loss of |
| INTERESTING NIGHTHAWKS (fromBirder’s World Magazine, August 2005) - Closely related to owls - Creates “booming” sound by air moving quickly through primary wing feathers - Their feet are amongst the smallest & weakest (relative to size) in the bird world - Sides of mouth are soft & flexible - They feed by flying straight into bugs with mouth & throat wide open; the bugs then go straight down the throat - Grounded birds are helpless and unable to feed (throat muscles do not work due to feeding habits - Coloration is only defense against predators - About once a day they release a brown liquid dropping; unknown reason - Declining in US & Canada - Nesting takes place on urban/suburban buildings - Nicknamed “goatsuckers” because “mouths appear large enough to milk goats”. Also known as “bullbats” due to loud sound made during courtship - Sit parallel on branches; may be to blend in better with tree. |
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| HOW TO IDENTIFY A FLEDGLING (from Birder’s World Magazine, August 2005) - Physical appearance; many fledglings look different than adults. Learn the differences from your field guide - Tail feathers are usually shorter; tail feathers are still growing at this time (fledgling can sometimes look “tail-less” - The gape (or edges around the mouth) may still be yellowish/reddish in color (bright color around mouth are thought to provide easier target for parents when feeding) - Bill may be shorter than an adult’s - Size of birds is not usually an indication since most fledglings are the same size as adults - Listen; fledglings are noisy and often “call incessantly” which helps the parent locate them - Usually have a “goofy” or expectant look about them - Feathers on fledglings usually look “pristine”, especially at this time of year the adults’ feathers are worn and frayed looking - Many (not all) fledglings will only take short flights with shaky landings, as they “hone” their flying skills. Also may spend more time on the ground. |
| INTERESTING TIDBITS OF INFO (from Birder’s World Magazine, August 2005) - Blue-throated Macaws, highly endangered, found in Bolivia 60 miles west of known populations - Northern Spotted Owl declining at a faster rate than expected. Learn more at www.reo.gov - Fewer Turkey Vultures found in west possible due to drought conditions. However, migration routes may have shifted and birds just were not counted. Also the northward expansion of these birds may be a positive response to global warming - Black Oystercatcher may have been helped by large earthquake in Alaska. The earthquake “uplifted portions of the mainland, as well as several islands” creating new and extensive intertidal lowlands. This change has reduced the number of cliff-nesting seabirds, but helped the oystercatchers |
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| A Site About Long Island Birds & Birdwatching |
| CHIMNEY SWIFTS (from Birder’s World, April 2005) - Swifts can cling to vertical surfaces due to strong toes & stiff tails. (Young can even leave the nest and cling to walls before they learn to fly. - This clinging ability is so advanced that they have lost the ability to walk or perch on horizontal surfaces due to their short legs and long wings. - To get out of a chimney, the birds climb up the side of the chimney, let go and free fall down the chimney until they their “rapid wing-beats” carry them aloft. |
| AUDUBON GOOD NEWS STORIES (from Audubon Magazine, November/December 2004) - Egrets: Plume hunters killed hundreds of thousands of egrets to get their feathers, often wiping out entire nesting colonies and reducing the population by almost 95 percent. Audubon fought hard for legal protection and in 1910 NYS passed the Audubon Plumage Law beginning legal protection of these birds. - Wild Flamingos: In 1900 flamingo populations were diminishing due to the raiding of flamingo colonies in the Bahamas by poachers. Audubon worked with the Bahamas’ government until in 1922 the birds were “granted full protection on the island of Andros”. - Whooping Crane: By 1941 the population was down to only 15 birds due to hunting and loss of habitat. In 1946 Audubon devoted resources to learn what was needed for the birds’ survival resulting in new population introduction and successful population increases to over 300 birds. - Raptors: |
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| BIRDS OF HIGHEST CONSERVATION CONCERN BIRD CONSERVATION MAGAZINE AUGUST 2004 |
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