Article Abstract:
The foraging behavior of Brown Creepers was observed using feeders containing sunflower see kernel bits of 3 to 17 mg in size. Creepers were found to swallow several seed bits during a visit to the feeder and frequently cached these food items in the bark of trees. This behavior was observed usually when only few chickadees were present. Although these caches were never covered, they were nonetheless found to be difficult to detect even at a 1 meter distance. No size preference was observed, however. It was hypothesized r that this behavior is among a number of feeding methods with a common evolutionary origin in birds.
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Article Abstract:
Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) feed on the backs of white-tailed deer, which may explain their tendency to become tame around humans. The observation is based on study of a video recording made by a deer hunter, supplemented by additional evidence that the behavior does not appear to be unusual. The jay spends about 30 sec on the deer's back and picks at the deer's hide several times, once with a nibble as if feeding, perhaps on a tick. The bird picks at the hide immediately after landing on the deer's back, indicating that the jay may have spotted something before landing.
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Article Abstract:
A model that employs data on arthropod distribution on tree trunks was tested by studying the foraging behavior of Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris and Short-toed Treecreeper C. brachydactyla. On average, Eurasian Treecreeper was observed to creep faster than Short-toed Treecreeper. However, both species crept more slowly on larger trees, a behavior that they also exhibited when both were probing. The Eurasian Treecreeper also crept more slowly on thick English oaks than on thick Scotch pines. In general, these observations supported the predictions made by the model.
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