Tag Archive | Backyard Secrets
BACKYARD SECRET–THE HUMMINGBIRD HAS THE FEWEST FEATHERS OUT OF ANY OF OUR BACKYARD BIRDS
As remarkable as it may seem, the hummingbird is cloaked with fewer feathers than any other bird in the entire world. Depending on the species, a hummingbird’s plumage is comprised of only 1,000 – 1,500 feathers. In comparison, the emperor penguin is covered with 80,000 feathers.
BACKYARD SECRET–WOODPECKERS HAVE SELF-SHARPENING BILLS
Whenever I see or hear a woodpecker chiseling into a tree, I ask myself the question, “How is it possible that the bills of woodpeckers never become dull?
I wish I were so lucky. Whenever I am using a wood chisel, after continued use I have to sharpen the tool’s steel cutting edge, yet woodpeckers seem to drive their bills into wood seeming without ever having to stop and sharpen their pointed bills.
Photo credit: Terry W Johnson
Remarkably, every time a woodpecker strikes a blow against a tree it is chiseling away wood and sharpening its bill at the same time. What happens is the tip a woodpecker’s bill is covered with special cells that constantly wear off, leaving the bill as strong and sharp as ever.
It is as simple as that.
BACKYARD SECRET–PINE WARBLERS ARE MOST OFTEN SEEN IN GEORGIA DURING THE WINTER
We Georgians are fortunate that, since the pine warbler is a permanent resident throughout the state, we have the opportunity to see and hear it throughout the entire year. However, it is not a coincidence that we see more pine warblers in the winter than at any other time of the year.
One of the reasons for this is practically all of the pine warblers in the entire continent winter in the South. Consequently, at this time of the year our resident birds are joined by untold numbers of pine warblers that nested outside the Peach State. As such, the mere fact pine warbler populations are much higher the Peach State in the winter enhances the chances that we will see one.
This warbler was named the pine warbler because of its long recognized affinity to pines. This relationship was even known by John James Audubon. Audubon dubbed the bird the pine creeping warbler.
During the breeding season pine warblers rarely venture far from pine trees. In addition, they spend the vast majority of their time foraging for food in the canopy of pine trees. Even when we hear a male loudly singing in the springtime, often we cannot see him since he is hidden in a dark green maze of pine needles.
During the winter, things change dramatically. During this harsh season, the invertebrates and their eggs that pine warblers relish are far more difficult to find than they are during the warmer months. In addition, pine seeds are more difficult to locate. This forces the birds to forage on or near the ground. This makes them easier for us to spot them.
Since the pine warbler is our only warbler that regularly eats seeds, during the winter it can also supplement its diet with grass, shrub, and forb seeds. It is also true that when this warbler can find them, it will also eat berries. In addition, during the winter insects and other invertebrates are often more abundant on or near the ground than atop pine trees.
On a number of occasions, I have found pine warblers feeding in South Georgia far from pines in harvested crop fields. Closer to home, it is not uncommon for me to find pine warblers looking for food in brushy field borders.
Also, during this harsh season the pine warbler will abandon pinelands and venture into hardwoods and even cypress swamps.
The bottom line is whereas those among us that have pines growing in our yards or nearby have a better chance of seeing a pine warbler throughout much of the year than those who live areas devoid of pine. However, in the winter, when the bird is found in a wider range of habitats, and pine warbler populations are at a peak, almost everyone has a legitimate chance of seeing one of these birds.
Of course, you will greatly enhance your chances of seeing this bird if your stock your feeders with foods that the birds prefer. A list of these foods can be found in previous blog. To access this post, simply go to the search feature on the right side of the blog and type in pine warbler. When you press the return key, all of the previous columns dealing with pine warblers will appear.
BACKYARD SECRET–THE STARLING IS ALSO CALLED THE RICE BIRD
Are you surprised to know the European starling is known as the rice bird?
The name rice bird stems from the fact that during the winter the bird’s glossy white plumage is covered with feathers adorned with white or buffy tips. These flecks of white are thought to resemble grains of rice. As time passes, the white tips of the feathers gradually wear off so that by summer they are completely gone.
BACKYARD SECRET — BLUE JAYS HOARD CHIPS OF PAINT
It is a well-known fact that many birds, including blue jays, hoard food. However, some blue jays take hoarding to a new level. It seems that at times blue jays will actually hoard chips of paint plucked from the sides of houses and other buildings.
Nobody knows for sure why these large, handsome birds would ever want to hoard paint chips. However, some suggest they use the chips as a source of calcium. Who knows?
BACKYARD SECRET — WHERE DOES THE DOWNY WOODPECKER GET ITS NAME?
There are at least two different explanations as to why our smallest woodpecker is named the downy woodpecker.
Some say the bird’s name refers to the downy white feathers that run down its back. These feathers contrast with the thicker, dark feathers that cover the rest of the bird’s back.
Others suggest that the bird is named for the downy nasal feathers seen around the base of the bird’s bill.
BACKYARD SECRET — THE RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD IS A MIGRATION CHAMPION
Each winter a smattering of rufous hummingbirds spend the winter in backyards throughout Georgia. In fact, the rufous has the distinction of being our most common hummingbird during this time of the year. That being the case, I thought you would like to know that this tiny bird also holds title of being the North American bird migration champion.
Each year the rufous hummingbird’s annual migration takes it from its breeding range along the Pacific Coast of North America as far north as southeastern Alaska, to its winter home in Mexico and back again. Scientists have estimated that, in order to accomplish this phenomenal athletic fete, the rufous hummingbird flies approximately 49 million times its body length (3.75″). When this figure is compared to the distances flown by other North American birds relative to their body lengths, it turns out that the rufous hummingbird makes the longest migration of any North American bird.
BACKYARD SECRET – MOST RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS THAT WINTER IN GEORGIA ARE LIKELY MALES
Remarkably, close to three-fourths of the ruby-crowned kinglets captured during banding operations conducted in Florida throughout the years have been females. This has lead ornithologists to suggest that more than likely male ruby-crowned kinglets winter farther north than do females.
Consequently, there is a good chance most of the ruby-crowned kinglets we see in our backyards here in Georgia during the winter months are males. Unfortunately, the only safe way for us to tell which is which is to see the scarlet red crest found only on the males. The problem is the male only displays his flashy, colorful crown when he is agitated. This apparently does not happen very often since many birders have told me they have never seen the male’s crown. It defies the laws or probability that they are only looking at females.
