File:Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada (1916) (14732337046).jpg

Identifier: birdsintheirrela00weed (find matches)
Title: Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Weed, Clarence Moores, 1864-1947 Dearborn, Ned
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Philadelphia London : Lippincott
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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fer materially from that for those already mentioned. Comparatively few of the vegetivorous birds are capableof devouring nuts. Crows and blue-jays, by holding thembetween their toes and their perch, are able with their strongbills to remove the shells from any of the thin-shelled nuts,and during the mast season feed largely upon them. Thewild doves, pigeons, grouse, turkeys, and many of the duckseat them entire, leaving the task of shelling to their musculargizzards. To all these birds nuts are a standard article ofdiet. To the nuthatches and woodpeckers they are amongthe contingencies, as a rule, though some of the westernwoodpeckers seem to dc^pend ui)on them considerably forwinter food. The smaller nuts, or nutlets, approaching theborderland of the seed-like achenes, such as those of thehornbeams and bass wood, are eaten to some extent by thegrosbeaks and woodpeckers. There are a number of dry fruits intermediate betweennuts and soft fruits vvdiich are of some consequence to birds
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THE VEGETABLE FOOD OF BIRDS. 33 on accouni of their ixTsisteiicc. The various sorls of siiiiiacliberries fall in tliis class. These berries remain throughout(lie winter as they grew, and during the season of want addmaterially to the food supply of northern birds. Ruffedgrouse, crows, jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadeesfre(;U(^ntly partake of them when the ground is covered withsnow. Brown thrashers, cat-birds, mocking-birds, bhubirds,robins, and even kingbirds eat them at times, though prob-ably never to any considerable extent. It is interestiiii;- to / ^Cy, ■M^^C ^^S^ / ^^ fc J i?l%i^ f^- CEDAR-BERRIES. note in passing that the berries of the poison-ivy and poison-sumach are eaten as freely as those of any other species ofe((ual abundance. The small liard berries of the red cedar and juniper con-Iribute to the livelihood of practically tlie same company.They are esi)ecially souglit by cedar-birds and are evidentlyenjoyed l)y purple finches, pine grosbeaks, and myrtle wa

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