"'" CARD 161 I
COMMON CRANE
,,~------------------------------~~~~~~ ORDER FAMILY GENUS &: SPECIES ~
Cruiformes
Cruidae
Crus grus
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 3 ~-4 ft . Wingspan: 7 ~ ft. Weight: 10-15 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Thought to be
5 years. Breeding season: April to June. No. of broods: 1 . Eggs: 2. Incubation: About 1 month . Fledging period: 2 ~ months. LIFESTYLE Call: Male's call is long and low.
Breedi ng areas of the common crane.
Wintering areas.
Female's is short and high-pitched . Habit: Gathers in flocks outside the
DISTRIBUTION
breeding season.
Breeds in Scandinavia, northern Germany, Turkey, and from
Diet: Plants, insects, reptiles.
eastern Europe to eastern Asia. Winters in southern Spain, North Africa, Iraq, Iran, India, and eastern Asia.
lifespan: May be up to 70 years . RELATED SPECIES
CONSERVATION
The closest relative is the hooded
Although the common crane is protected by law in Scandinavia
crane, Crus monacha, which breeds
and Finland, the population is declining in most areas due to the loss of its wetland habitat.
in Siberia, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.
FEATURES OF THE COMMON CRANE
~
Flight: Flies with neck outstretched and legs extended backward . Slow, strong wing beats . Flies high and sometimes soars .
Plumage: Both sexes have gray
plumage with dark wingtips and throat, white patches on cheeks and neck, and red crown. Tail feathers are dark, long , and bushy. Feathers are molted (shed) annually.
Eggs: 2 per clutch . Pale greenish brown , blotched and spotted with darker brown .
Bill: Long and pOinted , ideal for probing the ground in search of food.
~6gs: Long and thin f~r W;din,g , through shallow w,atetf.
The common crane is a tall, elegant bird that breeds in secluded wetland areas of northern Europe. It is well known for its graceful dancing displays, which are often performed by whole flocks. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ BREEDING The crane pairs for at least a few years and often for life. Newly paired birds may perform the dancing ceremony prior to mating, but older birds rarely display in this way. The pair establishes its breeding territory in a secluded wetland and returns there every year. Using dry vegetation, they build a platformlike nest in shallow water. The female usually lays two eggs, which both parents incubate for 28 to 30 days.
Because incubation starts as soon as an egg is laid, the chicks may hatch a day or two apart. The first chick may have left the nest by the time the second chick hatches. This ensures that there is enough food for each chick. The newly hatched chicks are helpless, but within hours they can crawl out of the nest. After nine weeks they can fly, even though their flight feathers are not yet fully developed.
Left: A shy, wary bird, the common crane is constantly on the lookout for predators.
Right: A young crane is able to swim and run only 24 hours after hatching.
The common crane nests in secluded sites away
D ID YOU KNOW?
from other birds. During migration cranes form
• A nesting crane may cover itself with mud or vegetation for camouflage. • A pa ir of calling cranes can be heard for several miles. Their coiled windpipes act like trumpets and amplify the sound. • Migrating cranes can fly two miles above the ground.
large flocks that fly in a V formation. The birds travel day and night, uttering loud calls to keep the flock together. They use as little energy as possible on their long journey, soaring high in the air on rising currents of warm air.
~ HABITS The common crane lives in wetlands but is also found in grasslands. Although it is an aquatic bird, the common crane does not have webbed feet and it stays in shallow water. Outside the breeding season, cranes form flocks of up to 400 birds. The crane flies with its neck outstretched, beating its wings in slow, strong movements. Its feet usually extend backward in flight, but they may be tucked under the breast feathers in cold weather. In summer the crane molts, or sheds, its feathers. Every few years, it loses all
• If suitable roosting sites are unavailable, common cranes may gather in large numbers. One site in the U.S.S.R. contained 3,500 birds at one time. • In Japanese mythology, the crane signifies long life. It was believed to live for a thousand years.
~ MIGRATION At the end of summer, the common crane moves to a flooded or swampy area to molt its feathers . Then it migrates south with its flock to a warmer climate. Depending on the location of their breeding ground, cranes winter in Spain, North Africa, Iraq, Iran, India, eastern Asia, or China.
Migrating cranes use the same stopover points each year, often before crossing a large stretch of water such as the Mediterranean. Here they forage for food and wait for suitable weather before continuing their journey. Immature birds migrate with their parents to learn the route.
~ FOOD &: FEEDING its flight feathers and cannot fly for five or six weeks. The crane's well-known dancing display may be performed by a single pair of birds, but often a whole flock takes part. During this display, the bird fans its wings and leaps into the air, then bows its neck almost to the ground. Stamping its feet, it picks up objects such as feathers or stones and tosses them into the air. The dancing was once thought to be a courtship display, but it also occurs when an intruder appears. The birds also seem to dance just for pleasure.
The crane eats almost anything that is available. Its main food is plant material such as grasses, crops, and herbs. In summer the crane eats frogs, slowvvorms, lizards, snakes, and even small mammals such as rodents. It also consumes earthworms, spiders, snails, and wood lice. Once in a while the crane eats fish or the eggs and young of small birds. In fall and winter it eats grains and nuts. The crane often travels long Left: Although the crane usually feeds on riverbanks, it can badly damage crops.
distances in search of TOod. It leaves its roost about half an hour before sunrise to spend the day feeding . It may return to the roost at midday to rest, then continue to feed until just after sunset. Standing in shallow water, the crane forages on the bank, either picking food from the surface or probing the soil with its bill. When one bird finds a good food supply, others join it, but they do not go near enough to bother one another. A few individuals always stand aside to act as lookouts.
CARD 162 1
KEY FACTS
LAMMERGEIER
""'---~
ORDER Falconiformes
SIZES Length: 4 ft. Wingspan: 9 ft. Weight: 10-15 lb.
GROUP 2: BIRDS FAMILY Accipitridae
GENUS &; SPECIES Gypaetus barbatus
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 5 years. Breeding season: January to July. Eggs: 1 or 2; pale buff. No. of broods: 1 . Incubation: About 2 months. Fledging period: 3-3 ~ months. LIFESTYLE Habit: Usually solitary. Diet: Carrion and bones. Also tortoises, birds, and mammals. Call: Usually silent. A shrill whistle in display. lifespan: Unknown . RELATED SPECIES There are more than 217 species in the family Accipitridae, including the Egyptian vulture, Neophron percnopterus.
r
Range of the lammergeier.
DISTRIBUTION Found in mountainous areas in southern Europe; northern, eastern, and southern Africa; the Middle East; and central Asia. CONSERVATION The lammergeier is very rare and threatened by hunting, accidental poisoning, and habitat disturbance. Preservation efforts include artificial feeding, protection of nests, and the release of birds into areas where the wild population has died out.
FEATURES OF THE lAMMERGEIER
Plumage: Front and belly are usually a light creamy buff. Darker wings and tail. Black beardlike mask around eyes and bill . Juvenile has a darker head and breast.
Wings: Long , narrow; and curved slightly forward . An important feature for identifying the bird in flight.
Used to pick meat and marrow from bones. Also used to carry bones and live prey in the air before dropping them on rocky ground .
Eggs: 1 or 2; laid in late winter or spring in a large nest. Incubated mainly by the female.
Feet: Strong legs but relatively weak talons. Better adapted for moving on the ground than for catching prey.
The lammergeier is a magnificent sight as it soars over a cliff or perches on a high ledge. This vulture searches for carcasses or bones that have been picked clean by other scavengers. © MCMXCII IMP BVII MP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILp M
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~ BREEDING
The lammergeier is known in Spain as the "bone breaker" because it drops large bones onto rocks to split them into manageable pieces. In this way it exposes the nutritious marrow inside the bones. A special digestive system allows the lammergeier to consume bone and gristle, which are inedible to most predators.
The lammergeier builds its nest on a deep ledge underneath an overhang or locates it inside a small cave high on a cliff face. It has up to five alternate nests, but it may use the same one for years. The nest is a pile of sticks, rags, paper, and other trash about three feet high and six feet wide. The nest becomes larger each year as new sticks and linings of wool
and manure are added to it. One or two large spotted buff eggs are laid in late winter. They are incubated mostly by the female and hatch in about two months. The chicks are fed by both parents, but only one chick reaches maturity. Even after 10 weeks in the nest, the chick is still fed by its parents four times a day. It can fly after about three months.
Left: The lammergeier can spot
Right: The lammergeier is among
food on the ground from a height of several hundred feet.
the most solitary members of the vulture family.
~ FOOD & HUNTING
I DID YOU KNOW? • In Asia the lammergeier often visits dumps, farms, and slaughterhouses to feed on discarded meat and bones. • According to legend, the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus was killed by a tortoise dropped by a lammergeier.
• The lammergeier is the rarest vulture in Europe, but 40 pairs live in the Pyrenees. • The lammergeier is also known as the "bearded vulture" because it has a black mask and bristles drooping from its bill.
The lammergeier usually eats the remains of dead animals. After other vultures finish eating, it tackles what they leave behind-the tougher meat and skeletons of goats, sheep, and deer. The bird breaks big bones into manageable pieces but swallows small bones whole.
~ HABITAT
~ BEHAVIOR
The lammergeier lives in the more remote parts of the high mountain ranges of Europe, Africa, and Asia. In the Pyrenees it nests on cliffs and soars above the highest peaks. It can also be seen flying over the hotter, more arid foothills. In the Himalayas it may reach altitudes of 15,000 feet. When the lammergeier flies at lower altitudes, it is lifted by thermals (warm air currents) rising from ridges and valleys. In these conditions it can spend hours soaring because it uses little energy to remain in the air. When flying higher up, it rides on the strong winds above cliffs and peaks.
After a good feed, the lammergeier takes a rest to digest its meal, perching for hours on a cliff ledge or on top of a large tree on a rocky slope. It can easily take flight from such points. In the air, the lammergeier is a splendid sight. Its long slotted wings and large wedge-shaped tail are ideally suited to soaring on thermal air currents, and it needs only one or two powerful wingbeats to take off. The lammergeier is usually shy, and it is easily disturbed. It rarely lets humans come close while it is on the ground, but Left: The-Iammergeier perches on high cliffs, from which it can easily take to the air.
The lammergeier may kill partridges and other birds. In Africa it carries small rodents into the air, drops them from a great height, and then eats them. It also picks up tortoises and drops them onto rocks to shatter their shells and expose the flesh.
it may circle low overhead. The lammergeier generally searches for food alone, but a pair roosts and occasionally feeds together. In winter and early spring, male and female adults display near the nesting site. The birds slowly circle to a great height, then roll over, interlock their talons, and tumble earthward together in a cartwheeling dive. The lammergeier usually remains in its large territory all year. It has been seen migrating only rarely. Although it occasionally flies from Turkey to Cyprus over the sea, it tends not to because there are no thermals above the water.
' " CARD 163
CRIMSON ROSELLA ,,~------------------------------~~~~~~ FAMILY . . . GENUS & SPECIES . . . ORDER ~ Psittaciformes
Psittacidae
~ P/atycercus e/egans
I
KEYFACTS__ ___________________________~ SIZES
Length: 13-15 in. Weight: 2-2)1,; oz. BREEDING
Sexual maturity: 1-2 years. Breeding season: September to early February.
No. of broods: 1-2. Eggs: 5-8; white, rounded. Incubation: About 3 weeks. LIFESTYLE
Habit: Mostly sedentary. Lives in pairs or small groups. Diet: Seeds, fruits, blossoms, in-
Range of the crimson rosella.
sects and their larvae. lifespan: About 10 years in the wild; longer in captivity.
DISTRIBUTION Found in eastern and southeastern Australia, mainly in wooded coastal regions and adjacent mountain rainforests. The bird was successfully introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
RELATED SPECIES The crimson rosella is closely related to the Adelaide rosella and yellow rosella. There are 3 sub-
CONSERVATION
species of crimson rosella and 8 species of rosella.
ever, the bird seems to be adapting to suburban areas, and its numbers are generally stable.
Habitat destruction is reducing the crimson rosella's range. How-
FEATURES OF THE CRIMSON ROSELLA Juvenile: Plumage is mainly green with red patches. This coloring lets the bird blend in with its dimly lit forest habitat. Poorly fed young may be mainly red throughout their lives.
Upperparts: Black with red margins that give characteristic scalelike markings.
Adult: Plumage is mainly red with blue cheeks, wing margins, and tail feathers. The wings are broad and rounded. The sexes look similar, but the female is slightly smaller than the male.
Eggs: 5 to 8 rounded white eggs per clutch . Eggs hatch in about 3 weeks. In good conditions, the female may move to another nest and lay a second clutch before the chicks from the first brood have flown .
The crimson rosella is one of the most brilliantly colored and popular members of the parrot family. This bird inhabits eastern Australia, where it is becoming common in suburban gardens. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ FOOD & FEEDING
Most members of the parrot family are quite aggressive, but the crimson rosella is not as noisy and combative as its relatives. This bird brightens suburban gardens in Australia with its vivid plumage, but it is not welcome in orchards because it feeds on fruit. By also eating insect pests, however, the crimson rosella offsets the damage that it does to crops.
~ HABITS The crimson rosella inhabits the coastal regions of eastern and southeastern Australia. It prefers heavily wooded areas and mountain rainforests at altitudes ranging from sea level to 6,500 feet. This bird is also becoming common in suburban gardens near large cities and towns. The crimson rosella moves to more open countryside during fall and winter. It is comfortable around humans and will take bread and fruit from picnic sites. The adult birds tend to live in pairs or small groups, while the young form flocks.
The crimson rosella's feeding habits are typical of a member of the parrot family. It eats fruits,
steady under the upper part of its bill. It uses the cutting edge at the front of its lower bill to
seeds, blossoms, insects, and insect larvae. The bird usually feeds on the forest floor. It picks seeds from grasses and plucks flowers from eucalyptus shrubs as well as other plants. It also takes berries and fruits from bushes and the undergrowth. The crimson rosella is an expert at shelling seeds. With its thick tongue, it holds the seed
chip away at the seed. In this way, the bird peels off the husk and extracts the kernel inside.
Left: The crimson rosel/a's beautiful plumage makes the bird desirable for aviaries.
Right: The crimson rosel/a uses
The crimson rosella can be a nuisance to farmers who grow corn and fruit. But its reputation for destroying crops is probably exaggerated. Any damage this bird does is balanced by its habit of eating insect pests that are harmful to crops.
both its beak and claws to crack open seeds.
Left: The crimson rosel/a is general/ya sedentary bird. It feeds on the ground and rarely flies far from the safety of its woodland home. It is often found in shady areas, which it favors.
DID YOU KNOW? • The crimson rose II a is also called Pennant's parakeet. • The proportion of red and yellow in a crimson rosella's plumage depends on the climate of its habitat. A very humid climate promotes darker pigmentation. Low humidity helps to produce yellowish brown pigments.
• Some young crimson rosellas already have adult plumage when they leave the nest. The plumage of other juveniles may take as long as 16 months to turn from green to red. Young birds that are well fed start off with green plumage. Poorly fed birds are red as juveniles and adults.
~ BREEDING There are three subspecies of crimson rosella. The smallest and darkest subspecies-Platy-
cercus elegans nigrescens~ives only in northeastern Queensland in Australia . The largest and brightest subspecies-Po e. melanoptera--is found only on Kangaroo Island. The third subspecies-Po e. elegans--is the most common and widespread. This subspecies has been successfully introduced to parts of New Zealand. Right: The crimson rosel/a is unusual because the juvenile's plumage differs from that of the adult.
Male and female crimson rosellas form pairs quickly at the onset of the breeding season. The male displays by drooping his wings, squaring his shoulders, fluffing up his breast feathers, and fanning his tail from side to side. He either holds his head high and tilts it back, or he bows slightly forward. While chattering, he feeds the female, who acts shy at first. The male searches for a nest site that will provide adequate protection for such a brilliantly colored bird. He chooses a hollow tree trunk or a branch with
an entry hole three to six feet above the ground. The female joins the male at the nest site, which may be selected some time before the first egg is laid. The female lays five to eight eggs on a bed of wood debris. She begins incubating after laying her second egg. The male feeds her and tends the nest. The eggs hatch in about three weeks. The naked young are blind for their first two weeks. The chicks fly at five weeks old but stay near their parents for another month. They then join a small flock of other juveniles.
"" CARD 164 I
SCARLET-CHESTED SUNBIRD
,,~------------------------------~~~~~~ GENUS &: SPECIES FAMILY ORDER ~
Passeriformes
Nectariniidae
Nectarinia senegalensis
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 6 in . Wingspan: 12 in. Weight: About 1h oz. BREEDING Nest: Built on tip of branch. Pearshaped with roofed entrance. Breeding season: From August to March . Clutch size: 2. Broods: 1. Incubation: 14-15 days. Fledging: 1 6-19 days.
Range of the scarlet-chested sunbird. LIFESTYLE Diet: Nectar, small insects, and spiders. Call: Sharp, metallic notes. Lifespan: Probably 3-4 years.
DISTRIBUTION Found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, from Senegal in the west to Kenya in the east, and excluding most of South Africa and Namibia.
RELATED SPECIES There are 107 species of sunbird in Africa, Asia, and Australasia. The
CONSERVATION There are no apparent threats to this adaptable and common species of sunbird. It is flourishing throughout its range in Africa.
closest relative is the black, or amethyst, sunbird.
FEATURES OF THE SCARLET-CHESTED SUNBIRD
Male: Colorful, iridescent plumage during breeding season. Glossy black overall except for bright red breast and green crown and throat. Plumage is duller outside the breeding season.
Bill: Long and downwardcurving for probing small flowers for nectar. Pointed tip for piercing base of larger flowers. Long, tubular tongue for sucking up nectar.
Eggs: 2; oval. White or cream
Female: Duller plumage than male. Dark brown upperparts. Mottled, lighter brown underparts.
The scarlet-chested sunbird lives in a variety of habitats in tropical Africa. It is often seen in parks and gardens, probing flowers for nectar with its long, curved bill. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ BEHAVIOR
The lively scarlet-chested sunbird is constantly on the move when feeding . It searches for flowers in the treetops as well as in small bushes that are close to the ground. The male sunbird tends to be more aggressive than the female. He often stops feeding to chase away another male,
pursuing the latter for hundreds of feet in a quick, agile flight. When calling, the male sunbird whistles a loud, musical four-note tune. The second note is a lower, more piping sound than the others. When he calls, the male sunbird can be heard every few seconds for an hour or more.
Left: The scarlet-chested sunbird has strong legs and feet for perching while feeding.
Right: Outside the breeding season, the male has duller plumage that looks like the female's.
DID YOU KNOW? • To keep predators away, the scarlet-chested sunbird often makes its nest near a hornet's nest or inside a thick, sticky network of cobwebs. • The scarlet-chested sunbird is often quite fearless. It will even continue feeding when The scarlet-chested sunbird is a lively bird that moves constantly when feeding. It flits busily among strongly scented flowers, probing blossoms for the nectar that makes up a large part of its diet. The sunbird also feeds on the many insects that are attracted to the flowers. The brightly colored male is more aggressive than the female and often chases away other sunbirds when feeding.
~ HABITAT The scarlet-chested sunbird lives in the moister regions of tropical Africa south of the Sahara. It is not found in the dry semidesert areas of northern and southwestern Africa. The bird favors sunny open areas of savanna woodland. It also likes heavily wooded areas that have small clearings beside
it is less than three feet away from a human observer. • The structure of a sunbird's feathers makes them reflect certain wavelengths of light in vivid shades. This produces the shiny, iridescent colors of the bird's plumage.
~ FOOD & FEEDING
Like hummingbirds, sunbirds are specially adapted for feeding on nectar. But unlike hummingbirds, sunbirds rarely hover when feeding. Instead, they perch beside flowers to feed. The scarlet-chested sunbird uses its long bill to probe small flowers for nectar. Sometimes it pecks through the base of larger
~ BREEDING
streams. In addition, it frequents ornamental gardens and city parks, where it finds nectar-rich exotic flowers as well as blossoming native bushes and trees. It is as comfortable in treetops as it is in bushes near the ground. Right: The female scarlet-chested sunbird builds an elaborate nest covered with dead vegetation.
The female scarlet-chested sunbird builds her nest in three to five days and reuses it for several years. The pear-shaped nest is suspended from a branch high above the ground. It is made from grass, lichen, dead leaves, and cobwebs and covered with decayed leaves. Over the entrance hole at one side of the
blossoms to reach the nectar inside. It sucks up the liquid with its long, tubular tongue. The sunbird favors Leonotis, Erythrino, and Aloe flowers. The sunbird also eats insects. In addition to crickets, ants, and caterpillars, it eats the spiders that live around the heads of its favorite flowers.
nest is a small, porch like roof. The female lays two oval eggs that are white or cream-colored with gray or olive flecks. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, and the young can fly in 16 to 19 days. The young bird resembles the female but has a black chin that is darker than the adult's. Males later develop red breasts.
KEY FACTS
STONECHAT GROUP 2: BIRDS ORDER Passeriformes
GENUS & SPECIES SaxicoJa torquato
FAMILY Turdidae
SIZES Length: 5 in . Wingspan: 7-8 in . Weight: About Yz oz. BREEDING Breeding season: April to August. No. of broods: 2-3 . Eggs: 5 or 6. Fledging period: 14-16 days.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Day-active; solitary or lives in pairs. Diet: Insects, plus other invertebrates and some seeds. Call: "Tchack" and softer "whit." Lifespan: 6 years. RELATED SPECIES A small thrush, the stonechat is most closely related to the Canary Islands chat, SaxicoJa dacotiae, and the whinchat, S. rubetra. There are 7 other species of SaxicoJa in Asia.
Resident range of the stonechat.
Winter range.
Summer range.
DISTRIBUTION Found throughout much of Europe and Asia, as well as northwest Africa, parts of Africa south of the Sahara, and Madagascar. It is not found in parts of northern and eastern Europe or in western Asia. CONSERVATION The stonechat is still widespread, although habitat loss and severe winters have reduced numbers in parts of western Europe.
FEATURES OF THE STONECHAT Flight: During the breeding season , the male may make a hovering song flight. He rises and falls as much as 80 feet above the ground .
J
The stonechat perches on bushes, diving from time to time to catch a moth or another insect. Cold winters kill off its prey, causing it to suffer from severe shortages of food.
head and tail, chestnut breast. white patch on neck. white ru mp and wing markings. The male's plumage is less vivid outside the breeding season .
Eggs: 5 or 6, pale blue with rust-brown speckles . Incubated by the female . There are up to 3 broods a year
Female: Beige-streaked uppe r parts, dull chestn ut breast, white throat patch. The streaked plumage provides cam ouflage that protects the bird while on the nest.
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~ FOOD & FEEDING The stonechat feeds mainly on
The male stonechat is a restless little bird whose striking breeding plumage matches his bold behavior. He flies from perch to perch within his territorYt scolding any intruder. The stonechat gets its name from the sound of its "tchack" call, which is very similar to the sound of two stones being struck together.
~ HABITAT
The stonechat breeds in a wide range of heathland and grassland habitats, as well as abandoned or marginal farmland. In some areas it is found in forest clearings, scrubby mountain slopes, and sand dunes. The habitat must provide low vegetation for nests, perches
I
The stonechat is easy to spot on its perch, flicking its wings and tail and making "whittchack-tchack" calls. The male has vivid breeding plumage, a large black head, a white patch on the neck, a chestnut
from which prey can be seen, and taller perches from which the bird can guard its territory and launch into song flights. In Great Britain the stonechat is found mainly on rough coastal grassland. The stonechat has also colonized farms of young conifers.
breast, and white wing markings and rump . The female is much duller and paler, with a streaked upper body and no white on the rump . Young birds are even paler, with streaked upper parts.
insects: beetles, flies and their larvae, ants, caterpillars, butterflies, and moths. It also eats spiders and worms. The stonechat watches for prey from a low perch like a bush, then swoops down on it. In spring the perches are about a yard above the ground. But when vegetation is taller in summer, the bird moves to a higher perch. It often hovers
near the ground looking for prey, and it may grab insects from the air. The young are fed on moths, butterflies, and caterpillars, as well as the larvae of glowworms and other beetles. Adult stonechats first break up large prey such as a caterpillar by pulling it through their bills or beating it to a pulp on a rock. Then they feed the food to their chicks or eat it themselves.
left: The stonechat eats mostly insects, which it plucks from either the air or the ground.
Right: Unlike the male's bold coloring, the female's plumage blends with the undergrowth.
left: During
the breeding season, the male finds a perch from which he sings to attract the female. The song perch is higher than the bird's feeding posts.
DID YOU KNOW? • Stonechats have been seen hovering above water and plucking young fish from the surface. • Most male stonechats have a single mate for at least one season. But some breed with more than one female. Since a
~ BREEDING
Many stonechats live in pairs year-round. But others, especially those that migrate, separate after breeding. In spring the male drives off rivals with an aggressive display. To attract a female, he utters a high-pitched song, usually from a spot higher than his feeding perches. The male may display in a brief song flight, rising and falling 30 to 80 feet above the ground. The male may also hover above his intended mate or display on the ground. The female builds a nest at the left: Many stonechats die in winter, so a high rate of reproduction
is necessary.
female can have three broods, each with five to six young, the male can father an extensive family. • In Great Britain the stonechat is called the furze chat, vuzzy napper, black head of gorse, and stone chucker.
base of a bush, in a clump of grass, or in other dense vegetation. It is an untidy cup of dry grass and leaves lined with hair, feathers, or sheep's wool. Often a short tunnel runs through the vegetation to the nest. The female alone incubates the eggs and tends the young for the first few days. Then both parents care for the chicks until four to five days after they have fledged. The female then leaves to build a nest for her second brood. The male remains to feed their first family for another five to ten days. This procedure may be repeated with a third brood .
~RD166 1
HONEY BUZZARD
KEY FACTS
--------~~------
SIZES Length: 1 ~-2 ft. Female slightly larger than male . Wingspan: 4-5 ft. Weight: 1-2 lb.
\(~------------------------------~~~~~~~ ORDER Falconiformes
FAMILY Accipitridae
. , . GENUS & SPECIES "11IIIIIIII Pernis apivorus
BREEDING Breeding season: Mid-April to June. No. of broods: 1 . Eggs: 1 or 2, occasionally 3. Incubation: 4-5 weeks. Fledging period: About 6 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary. Diet: Mainly wasps and their larvae. Also hornets, bees, and small animals. Lifespan: Oldest recorded, 28 years, 10 months. RELATED SPECIES The only related species are the barred honey buzzard, Pernis celebensis, and the Oriental honey buzzard, P. ptilorhynchus.
Breeding range of the honey buzzard.
Winter range.
DISTRIBUTION Breeds throughout most of Europe, to Norway in the north, east to the Soviet Union, and south to the Caspian and Mediterranean coasts. Winters in western and central Africa. CONSERVATION The honey buzzard is still numerous, but its numbers have declined in the last 50 years due to the slaughter of birds as they migrate over countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece.
FEATURES OF THE HONEY BUZZARD ~\
Head: Ash gray. Crown is covered with small , dense feathers for protection from wasp stings. Nostrils are like slits, so they are protected when the bird
Flight: Soars on updrafts of warm air, revealing barred underparts and slotted wingtip feathers.
Plumage: Dark brown with pale tips on upper feathers. Pale underparts with brown bars.
Eggs: Usually 1 or 2 per clutch. Brown with dark blotches of purple-red or reddish brown .
Feet: Large and powerful with sharp talons. Help the buzzard tear open insect nests.
The honey buzzard is a bird of prey that eats mainly wasps. It will even follow an unsuspecting insect to its nest in order to find and feed on the protein-rich larvae. © MCMXCII IMP BV/ IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ FOOD &: FEEDING
The honey buzzard's favorite foods are the pupae, larvae, and adults of wasps, hornets, and occasionally bees. It also eats other insects, spiders, worms, frogs, snakes, small mammals, nestlings of other birds, fruit, and berries. The honey buzzard may walk through the forest searching for food. Or it may sit on a perch and watch a stretch of open ground, swooping down to catch prey in its bill.
Sometimes the honey buzzard follows a wasp to its underground nest. The bird digs into the nest with its strong feet, scooping out earth with its bill. It swallows both the adults and the larvae whole, first removing the adults' stingers by nipping them off with its bill. During the breeding season, the honey buzzard feeds the protein-rich larvae to its chicks. The chicks may also get roughage by eating the cell walls in which the larvae develop.
left: The pattern of the honey
Right: Built high in a tall tree, the buzzard's nest is often hard to see from the ground.
buzzard's plumage varies widely between individuals.
The honey buzzard is a widespread woodland bird that is specially adapted to its diet of wasps/ hornets/ and occasionally bees. It has tiny, densely packed feathers that protect its forehead from stings and powerful feet that it uses to rip open nests. Its nostrils are like slits so dirt cannot get inside when the bird scoops out earth with its bill in order to get at prey.
• Every year, up to 120,000 honey buzzards cross the Mediterranean Sea via the Straits of Gibraltar, and about 25,000 make the crossing via the Bosphorus in Turkey. • In its wintering grounds, the honey buzzard tries to find surroundings that are similar
to its breeding site in Europe. • It is thought that there are only 20 nesting pairs of honey buzzards left in the British Isles. • The honey buzzard is an elusive bird in its African wintering quarters, and very little · is known about its behavior in that area.
~ BREEDI NG
~ HABITS
The honey buzzard prefers to live in warm, moist, wooded areas with open spaces, where it can easily find wasps-its main food source. It may also inhabit meadows, thickets, and small wetlands, but it stays away from cultivated and populated areas. The honey buzzard summers in Europe and winters in western and central Africa. From August to mid-September, after the breeding season, large flocks gather before heading for the wintering grounds. The birds begin to return to Europe from mid-April to May. The honey
left: The honey buzzard is well adapted for feeding from wasps' nests. Its curved bill is ideal for digging, and its short, dense feathers protect it from wasp stings.
DID YOU KNOW?
buzzard prefers to fly on rising air currents, so it avoids long sea crossings and follows routes over narrow channels such as the Straits of Gibraltar. The honey buzzard spends less time in the air than many other birds of prey, and it regularly searches for its food on the ground. It usually roosts high in the branches of broad-leaved trees such as beech, but it also nests in pine and spruce trees in some parts of its range. Right: The down-covered fledgling is confined to the nest for about six weeks after birth.
The honey buzzard mates almost as soon as it returns from its wintering grounds in Africa. The male puts on an aerial display, repeating the same performance several times. He flies upward in a steeply curving arc, then hangs in the air with wings extended. Before he plummets back to earth, he beats his wings three or four times, touching the tips behind his back. Honey buzzards usually pair for life. Both birds build the nest in a tall tree, using twigs for the basic structure and green vegetation for the lining. This well-
camouflaged nest provides a soft bed for the chicks and hides them from predators. The female lays one to three eggs at two-day intervals, and they are incubated by both parents for about five weeks. After hatching, the chicks are fed by their parents for up to 18 days. Then they begin to feed themselves with food brought to the nest by the adults. The young birds leave the nest after about six weeks, but they often return to be fed. They are independent by the end of the summer, when it is time to migrate.
"" CARD 167J . _ _~ KEY FACTS
EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR
,,~----------------------------& ~ ORDER
~ Caprimulgiformes
FAMILY
GENUS
Caprimulgidae
Caprimulgus europaeus
SPECIES
SIZES length: 11 in., including tail. Wingspan: About 2 ft. BREEDING Breeding season: May to August. Eggs: 2, creamy white, mottled with brown or gray. Broods: Usually 2. Incubation: 18 days. Fledging period: 1 7 days. LIFESTYLE Habit: Forms pairs that are renewed each breeding season; otherwise solitary. Active at night. Diet: Flying insects captured dur-
Breeding range of European nightjar.
Wintering range of European nightjar.
DISTRIBUTION
ing flight. lifespan: Up to 8 years.
Breeds throughout Europe, southern Scandinavia, and western and central Asia. Winters in Africa south of the Sahara.
RELATED SPECIES CONSERVATION
There are 44 species in the genus Caprimulgus worldwide, including the whip-poor-will, C. vociferus, of North American woodlands.
The European nightjar is threatened by insecticides, which poison its food. It has suffered a serious decline in Great Britain, where there are now only 2,000 breeding pairs.
I THE EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR AND ITS NEST Roosting: The European nightjar is active at night and often spends the day sleeping on a branch.
Hunting: The European nightjar uses its large, owl-like eyes to locate prey. It swoops forward silently to trap its prey.
The European nightjar is a graceful aerial hunter that preys on insects during the night. It can scoop up more than a dozen insects at a time while flying through the air.
Tail: Flashes of
white on the wingtips identify the male bird.
Eggs: Two creamy white eggs, mottled with brown or gray.
Bristles: Stiff bristles on both sides of the mouth protect the eyes. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ BREEDING
A pair of European nightjars may return to the same nesting area for years, usually arriving in midMay. To impress his mate, the male soars above her, fanning his feathers and showing off the white flashes on his wingtips and tail. He also raises his wings in flight and flicks them down to produce a sharp noise like the crack of a whip. The eggs are laid on a bare scrape on the ground in late May. At night both birds incu-
bate the eggs, taking turns so that each has a chance to hunt. During the day only the female incubates. The male takes over at dawn and dusk, so she can leave the nest to feed. The eggs hatch after 1 8 days, and the chicks are fed insects by both parents. If his mate produces a second clutch, the male may take charge of feeding. The chicks leave the nest a week after hatching and can fly within 1 7 or 18 days.
Far right: The nightjar's eggs are incubated by both parents for about 78 days. Right: The down-covered chicks leave the nest within a week, but they remain close to the nest. Left: The nightjar's long tail and
very large wings make it an extremely agile flier.
The European nightjar hunts at night and spends the day resting. Its brownish gray plumage provides excellent camouflage in its woodland habitat, making the bird almost invisible to predators. The sound of its trilling song is often the only sign that a nightjar is in the area.
~ HABITS
The European nightjar is active only at night. It spends the day roosting on the ground or on a branch. Because its downy gray-
an intruder comes too close. The nightjar has a variety of calls and cries, but its song is unique. A prolonged low trill
brown plumage offers excellent camouflage, the bird makes little attempt to conceal itself. A roosting nightjar looks like a heap of dead leaves or a strip of bark. It completes its disguise by lying motionless with its big black eyes narrowed to slits. It is not asleep, however, and will fly off with a sharp cry when
that sounds like a small motor, the song may last up to five minutes, rising and falling in pitch as the bird turns its head. The nightjar also has a short, soft flight call. There is some evidence that the nightjar uses the echoes from such calls to locate obstacles in the dark, the way a bat uses echolocation.
DID YOU KNOW? • The European nightjar is also called a "goatsucker" because it was thought that the bird took milk from goats' teats. • Nightjars and owls both have soft feathers for the
same reason: they are silent in flight, enabling the birds to surprise their victims. • Nightjars have big appetites. One bird had 500 mosquitoes in its stomach when examined.
Left: The nightjar's brownish gray plumage provides perfect camouflage against tree bark.
~I BIRDWATCH The European nightjar is usually found in heaths, open scrubland, and pinewood glades. It appears in spring and migrates to Africa at the
~ FOOD & FEEDING
The European nightjar is anatomically very similar to a swift or a swallow. Like those birds, it pursues insects through the air, scooping them up in flight. The nightjar always preys at night, Left: The nightjar's small beak opens wide to trap flying insects.
end of summer. It can be seen at night, twisting and swooping through the air in pursuit of insects. Its long vibrant trill is a distinctive call .
on all kinds of insects. It may dive through a cloud of mosquitoes, engulfing a dozen at a time. Or it may chase a nightflying beetle or hawk-moth . The nightjar probably uses its large owl-like eyes to locate its prey as it flies silently through the sky on its soft-feathered wings. With its beak open, the nightjar traps insects in its huge gape, or mouth opening, which extends all the way back, right under its eyes.
' " CARD 168
BURROWING OWL
,,~------------------------------~~~~~ ORDER FAMILY . , . GENUS & SPECIES ~
Strigiformes
Strigidoe
~ Speotyto cuniculorio
I
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 8-10 in. Wingspan: About 2 ft. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: Spring. Eggs: 5-9, depending on availability of food. Round, white, and glossy. Incubation: 3 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Active during the day, but hunts mainly at dusk. Nests in abandoned burrows. Pairs for life.
Range of the burrowing owl.
Diet: Insects, small mammals, reptiles; occasionally scorpions and centipedes. Call: "Cack, cack" when alarmed. Cooing sound in mating season . RELATED SPECIES Closely related to the owls of the genus Athene, including the little owl, Athene noctuo, and the spot-
DISTRIBUTION Found on the open prairies of North and South America. CONSERVATION The burrowing owl population has been declining in recent years as burrowing animals like prairie dogs become rarer. Since burrowing animals ruin farmland, farmers poison and seal off their burrows. This deprives the owl of its nesting and roosting sites.
ted owlet, A. bromo.
FEATURES OF THE BURROWING OWL Eggs: 5 to 9. Round and glossy white. Laid in underground nest.
Head: Rounded . Sharp, short, bulbous beak, used in catching prey and digging burrows. Large, yellow, forward-facing eyes provide good vision for hunting .
Plumage: Upper parts are brown with white spots and white streaks on the crown . White face. Cream-colored underparts with dark brown collar. Male and female have the same plumage, but the coloring varies within the owl's range. Those in semidesert areas are a light, sandy brown. Young: Grayish, downy plumage. Leaves the nest before it can fly but stays close to the burrow.
;Legs: Covered with short, hairlike feathers. Very "'long, enabling the owl to walk and burrow easily.
The burrowing owl is a bird of prey that is found on the plains of both North and South America. In this open, treeless terrain it finds shelter in the abandoned burrows of small rodents. X II IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILpM
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~ FOOD & FEEDING
The burrowing owl is active mainly at night. But it can also be seen during the day, sitting on the ground or perching on a fencepost as it watches for prey. It is closely related to the little owl of Europe and shares that birds characteristic reaction to danger. When it is threatened, the burrowing owl bobs up and down in place by bending its long legs repeatedly.
~ HABITS The burrowing owl is found in open country and on the prairie in North and South America. It lives in the abandoned burrows of animals such as small rodents. It may also take over the lair of a large reptile. The most popular burrows are those of prairie dogs, small mammals that live in huge burrow colonies known as towns. The owl frequently makes its home alongside such a colony. Although the owl occasionally preys on the young, prairie dogs tolerate its presence. The viscacha, a large South Amer-
The burrowing owl feeds on insects, small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, and sometimes scorpions and centipedes. It usually watches for prey from an observation point, often a "lookout" mound built by a prairie dog. The burrowing owl may also keep watch from the branches of a bush or the top of a rqck pile. It mainly hunts on the ground but occasionally hovers in the air or catches insects in flight.
Although the burrowing owl has keen vision, it usually locates its prey by sound . Movable ear flaps and the ability to turn its head make the owl a proficient hunter. It can pinpoint the location of a sound by calculating the difference in the time it takes to reach each ear. When it is sure of its prey's location, the owl flies from its perch straight to the animal and snatches it in its claws or beak.
left: The burrowing owl's long legs evolved as a result of spending so much time on the ground.
Right: Around dusk, the burrowing owl hunts for food such as insects and larvae.
left: The bur-
DID YOU KNOW? • The site of a breeding pair of burrowing owls is often marked by huge piles of leftover food outside the burrow entrance. • Two races of burrowing owl in the West Indies became extinct by the late 19th century. The mongoose, a predator introduced to control snakes,
row offers protection from predators and the heat of the sun. The nest site may be three feet below the ground, at theendofa tunnel up to ten feet long.
was easily able to gain access to the owls' burrows, and it wiped out the birds. • The burrowing owl can often be found living on golf courses, roadside embankments, and airfields. • In winter, burrowing owls that live north of Oregon and Kansas migrate farther south.
~ BREEDING ican rodent, even lets the owl share its burrow. If there is no suitable burrow available, the owl may enlarge one that is too small. Sometimes it digs its own burrow with its beak and powerful feet. Inside its burrow, the owl is safe from most predators. But it is still preyed upon by skunks, opossums, and rattlesnakes. When threatened, it bobs up and down. If it is close to its burrow, the owl retreats underground with an alarm call and a menacing hiss that sounds like the hiss of a rattlesnake.
Burrowing owls nest in small colonies with about 12 breeding pairs in the same group of burrows. In spring the male and female look for a nesting site. They enlarge the hole if necessary and line the nest chamber with grass and twigs. The female lays five to nine white eggs, which both adults incubate for three weeks. The newly hatched owlets are blind and deaf, and they are covered with whitish down. Their eyes left: After fledging, a young owl stays with its parents to perfect its hunting skills.
and ears open within a week. The parents bring food to the nest and regurgitate it into the gaping mouths of the young. The owlet's beak is lined with sensitive hairs. When touched, these hairs stimulate the owlet to open its mouth and take the food. As they get older, the young wait at the burrow entrance to take food from the adults when they return from hunting. The owlets explore the terrain around the nest before they can fly. They do not stray far and retreat into the burrow at any sign of danger.
"
SACRED IBIS
CARD 169 I
~ ~
'"
GROUP 2:
~
ORDER Ciconiiformes
FAMilY Threskiornithidae
GENUS &; SPECIES Threskiornis aethiopicus
.
BIRDS ~ ~
KEY FACTS SIZES length: 2-2~ ft. Weight: 3~ lb. Wingspan: 3~-4 ft. BREEDING Breeding season: March to August. Number of broods: 1. Eggs: 1-5, usually 2-4. Greenish white with brown spots. Incubation period: 4 weeks. Fledging period: 5-6 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable; feeds by day. Diet: Invertebrates, reptiles, fish, eggs and nestlings, carrion, offal. Call: Guttural, wheezing grunt. lifespan: Oldest recorded bird, more than 21 years. RELATED SPECIES The ibis and spoonbill family includes the glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus, found in both the Old World and the Americas.
Range of the sacred ibis.
DISTRIBUTION Found mainly inland and close to water, in tropical and subtropical areas throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Also breeds in Iraq. CONSERVATION The sacred ibis became extinct in Egypt during the 19th century. It survived elsewhere by adapting to a variety of habitats and today is common within its range.
Flight: Reveals scarlet breeding plumage under wings. Neck and legs are held outstretch·ed . The long, broad wings are . ~ beaten stiffly but ~ ...... fairly rapidly.
Bill: Long, heavy, and curved . Ideal for probing soft mud for prey.
The sacred ibis of Africa is a curious-looking bird. Its body and tail are covered with abundant black and white feathers, but its head and neck are completely bald.
Juvenile: Mostly wh it~ plumage is mottled and streaked with black. Neck and head are covered with feathers for the first 2 years but naked in adulthood.
Eggs: Usually 2 to 4 laid in a nest of grass and rushes. The roughly textured shell is greenish white with brown spots. Plumage: Sexes are similar. Wings and body are mostly white outside the breeding season . Wings have black tips .
Neck: Long, slender, and naked. Like the head, it has dull, charcoal gray skin.
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Tail plumage: Blue-black with metallic sheen. The long feathers fall over the closed wing.
0160200551 PACKET 5
~ BREEDING
Although the sacred ibis is now extinct in Egypt, it was once a seasonal visitor to the banks of the Nile River. The bird was worshiped by the ancient Egyptians, who believed that it was a symbol of their god Thoth. Archaeologists have discovered paintings of the sacred ibis inside tombs. They have also found large numbers of its mummified remains.
~
The female selects a nest site in a tree, on a flat-topped bush, or on the ground among rocks. She builds the nest from twigs and lines it with grasses and rushes collected by the male. The female usually lays two to four greenish white eggs. Each parenttakesturnsincubating the eggs for four weeks. Both birds then feed the young with partially digested food . The chicks leave the nest after five or six weeks. But they rely on their parents for food for a few more days until fledging is completed.
left: The sacred ibis usually rests
Right: For about five weeks, a chick
in trees after feeding and may nest in the branches.
takes partially digested food from its parents.
left: Like the other members of its family, the sacred ibis has a very long, curved bill. This shape is ideal for picking prey out of muddy riverbanks and for probing into carcasses.
DID YOU KNOW? • More than a million ibis mummies were found in one group of tombs in Egypt. • The sacred ibis sometimes steals crocodile eggs that are dug up by monitor lizards. • The sacred ibis is not afraid of humans. It may breed and roost near towns.
• Up to 100 pairs may gather on a breeding ground of 100 square feet. Over 25 nests may be built in an area of 50 square feet. • As it matures, the spoonbill develops a thin, curved bill like that of its relative the sacred ibis.
~ FOOD & FEEDING
HABITAT
The sacred ibis has adapted to tropical and subtropical habitats throughout Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Usually found inland, this bird favors the muddy shores of lakes, rivers, and swamps-areas where food is plentiful. When it is not feeding, it rests on sandbanks or perches in trees. A sociable bird, the sacred ibis gathers in flocks when searching for food by day and when roosting at night. It often
The sacred ibis nests in a colony that may also include herons, storks, egrets, and cormorants. The male is the first to arrive at the breeding site, and the female follows two days later. The male displays to a female by extending his neck forward and jerking it downward with his bill open. Both birds then stretch their necks up and flick their heads back. They bow and intertwine their necks as they preen and call out. The pair bond lasts only for the breeding season.
mingles with other species. It also breeds in large colonies, with up to 200 birds in one small breeding area. The sacred ibis is not a regular migrant. But it often makes seasonal journeys to look for food or to avoid the rainy season . Flocks tend to scatter more widely at the end of the breeding season. Right: Long legs enable the sacred ibis to wade through shallow lake water in search of prey.
The sacred ibis feeds by day in small flocks. It wades through the shallow edges of rivers and lakes, probing the soft mud with its long, curved bill. Or it takes food from the banks. The ibis has a mixed diet but feeds mainly on invertebrates. Worms, locusts, grasshoppers, spiders, insect larvae, crustaceans, and mollusks are popular prey. The ibis also eats small frogs, reptiles, and the remains of fish. It will kill smaller birds
such as young cormorants or chase adult birds from a nest and steal their eggs. The ibis also eats carrion, picking at the remains of a dead bird or an animal left by vultures. Since its head and neck are bald, there are no feathers to become matted with blood when the ibis scavenges. If there is no suitable food nearby, a flock may fly miles from its breeding colony to find a betterfeeding ground .
' ( CARD 170 I
AMERICAN ROBIN
,,~--------------------------------------------~ FAMILY ORDER .... GENUS SPECIES ~
Passeriformes
Turdidae
& ~ Turdus migrotorius
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: lOin. Wingspan: 14-16 in . Weight: 2-3 ~ oz. BREEDING Breeding season: Early April in the south to mid-May in the north. No. of broods: Up to 3 per year. Eggs: 3-5, pale blue. Incubation: 11-14 days. Fledging period: 14-16 days. LIFESTYLE Habit: Forms a pair in summer. Flocks in winter. Diet: Mainly insects, earthworms, small fruits, and berries. Calls: A variety of sharp notes.
RELATED SPECIES A member of the thrush family, the American robin is the only species in the genus Turdus that breeds in North America.
Resident and breeding range.
Breeding areas of the American robin.
DISTRIBUTION Breeds in North America from the northern tree line of Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland south to Mexico. Some winter as far south as Cuba and the Bahamas. CONSERVATION Because the American robin flourishes alongside human settlements, its numbers are greater than would be possible in a totally natural habitat.
FEATURES OF THE AMERICAN ROBIN Eggs: 3-5, pale blue. They hatch in 11-14 days.
Bill: Short and pointed fo, eating insects and picking berries from trees. J
Male: Brownish gray upper parts with darker head. Orange-red breast (duller on the female) . White throat streaked with black, and pale rump flecked with brown .
Juvenile: Brown upper parts. Pale
breast flecked with darker brown.
The American robin is common throughout the United States and Canada. It is popularly known as "robin redbreast" because of the color of the plumage that covers its breast. (C' MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~
FOOD &: FE ED ING
In winter the American robin eats mostly fruit crops and wild berries. Because it eats la rge quantities of various berries,
hoppers, flies, spiders, wood lice, earthworms, wireworms, millipedes, and snails. The American robin suffered a
it plays an important role in spreading the seeds of several
serious decline in the late 1950s and early 1960s when DDT and other powerful insecticides were being sprayed on farmland and gardens. Earthworms became
species of trees and shrubs. The robin also eats insects, but they make up a smaller proportion of its diet than plant matter. It prefers beetles and caterpillars but also eats grassLeft: The American robin collects mud in its bill to make a smooth lining for its nest.
In Canada and the northern United States, the arrival of the American robin signals the beginning of spring. The robin population is flourishing, thanks
in large part to human activity. Farmland and gardens provide it with an ideal habitat, where there is a constant supply of food. Today, there are more robins living near people than there are in the wild.
~ HAB ITAT The American robin inhabits
south as Bermuda and the Ba-
most of North America . It can be found in sparse woodland, open scrub, and at the edges of forests . By clearing land for farming and housing, people provide an ideal environment for the robin . It is now more
hamas. In warmer parts of the United States the robin is resi- . dent year-round .
often found living near people than in its original wild habitat. In Canada and the northern parts of the United States, robins m igrate south for the winter. The distance they travel depends on the severity of the
contaminated with the chemicals and caused the deaths of the robins that ate them . Right: The robin can be a problem for farmers when it feeds on crops of soft fruit. Left: The robin feeds mainly on berries, but it also eats insects and invertebrates. Before pulling a worm from the ground, the robin pauses with its head cocked.
DID YOU KNOW? • A robin may repair and add to the same nest year after year. After six years, one nest had grown to eight inches high. • The robin may become drunk after eat ing fru it that is overripe. • The robin may share a nest with other species. In one case,
four young robins were discovered in a nest with two young finches and four finch eggs. The parents of both species fed each other's young. • Winter roosts may have large flocks. A Florida bird-watcher estimated one flock as having 50,000 birds.
The female robin is quite often courted by three or four males. They run around her chattering loudly with their tails fanned and wings shaking. The robin usually builds its nest in a forked branch of a tree or shrub. In cities it often uses building ledges, gateposts, roof gutters, porches, or drainpipes. The female builds the nest, and her mate helps by bringing the materials. The outer layer of the
formed out of a thick, smooth layer of mud that is lined with dry grass. The female lays three to five pale blue eggs, which she incubates for 11 to 14 days. The male may take short turns on the nest toward the end of the incubation period . At first, both parents feed the
weather. Some robins go as far
nest is made from twigs, stalks, grass, or even pieces of string or cloth. The cup-shaped bowl is
young and keep the nest clean by swallowing the tiny feces. But once the young birds begin to fly, the male looks after them, giving the female time to prepare for the next brood. The
Right: The robin disperses seeds by eating them and then depositing them elsewhere in its droppings.
Left: In California's warm climate, the robin may rear up to three broods a year.
robin can rear two to three broods each year, but in the north it may rear only one.
