By: Patrick Troyer, Education Specialist
Youth in the Paulding County Library Summer Reading Program had the opportunity to enjoy a program on the Birds of Nature recently. There was a variety of topics covered such as general bird facts, bird life cycles, birds that can be found around our area, and so much more! Participants had the opportunity to see some bird mounts and even enjoy an activity where they became birds in a relay game.
Many bird species such as the Blue Jay pictured here provide multiple benefits to humans and the environment such as mosquito control. Courtesy: Audubon Society.
The program started out by discovering what everyone already knew about birds. We know that birds have feathers and a beak with no teeth. The skeleton on birds is very lightweight but still very strong which helps in the ability to fly. Birds have forelimbs that are covered by feathers called wings and combined with their lightweight skeleton gives them the ability to fly. Birds also lay eggs and are warm blooded.
Birds have a rather simple life cycle. They start as an egg or the embryo stage. Eggs have a hard shell to protect the developing baby birds from any outside forces. The mother bird will typically sit on or incubate her eggs which helps to supply heat to the developing egg. The next stage is the hatching stage which occurs when the baby bird has grown enough that it has no more room to grow and hatches out of its protective shell. If the egg does not hatch at the proper time, the mother has what is called an “egg tooth” which can be used to crack the egg open if necessary. Incubation time is different among the various bird species but generally will take around 12 days for smaller birds to hatch while larger birds such as eagles or hawks can take up to 6 weeks to hatch.
After hatching, the bird moves onto the nesting stage at which it needs good and plentiful nutrition to grow. It is important for the bird to be healthy to develop its flight feathers. After some more time has passed, the young bird starts to practice its flying which takes much practice to master.
Generally, birds will eat just about everything. Seeds such as corn, grasses, and weeds are a favorite of cardinals, woodpeckers & jays while other birds like worms, insects, and plants. Birds will also eat many of the same foods that humans will such as apples, cheese, corn, raisins, peanuts, and even peanut butter! Offering a wide variety of different foods is one tip on how you can attract a wide range of birds to your backyards.
Not all birds will have the same size or shape to their beak but will have a beak that is designed specifically for the types of foods they will eat and how they get those foods. Birds will have beaks that can serve the following purposes: filtering, probing, catching insects, cracking seeds, tearing meat, and drilling holes. The drilling beak is best suited for a bird such as the woodpecker as it is a rather strong beak tapered at the tip which forms a great tool for them to peck holes in trees according to the Fernbank Science Center. Hummingbirds can be found with a probing beak which are very long and work great when they are obtaining nectar from flowering plants. Ducks and other water loving birds will have the filtering beak which works great when they dunk their head in the water, swoosh their beak around, and pick up algae or other food particles suspended in the water.
Birds that would have a beak for catching insects would be the warbler. These beaks are rather thin, slender, and pointed which work great when birds with this beak pick insects off leaves, twigs, and bark according to the Fernbank Science Center. The seed cracking beak would be found on birds such as Blue Jays or Finches. This beak is strong which allows ease with cracking seeds which is a common staple among these birds. Finally, the meat beak is found on the carnivore birds such as hawks or owls. According to the Fernbank Science Center, this beak is used to bite the neck or skull of their prey and rip the body into small pieces which they can swallow.
Where do birds make their shelter? Typically, birds love trees or any place they can perch or make a nest. Most birds will make a nest for their young in trees while others will make their nest right on the ground. There are some bird species which find tall prairie grass to be suitable for them to make their nest. Birds are very useful when it comes to pollination, especially the hummingbird which is a key pollinator of wildflowers.
Do all birds fly? The answer to that question is no. Think about ostriches, emus, and penguins that are birds yet do not fly. Ostriches and emus are simply too big to fly and it is said penguins stopped flying because they were on isolated islands with no need to escape from predators.
What are some ways that birds help the environment? First, they help to offer some insect control by keeping those pesky mosquitoes from bothering us. They also are good for spreading seeds and pollinating flowers of plants that we depend on for food and fiber. One additional thing that birds provide as an environmental benefit is improved mental health for humans. Studies have been conducted which show that spending time in nature listening to birds improves both cognition and mental health.
Participants then learned about and see samples of some of the birds that we have in the area such as hummingbirds, ducks, pheasants, blue jays, robins, owls, and the wild turkey. They also did an activity to match the bird beak to the food and played a game to guess the bird call. If you would like this program or different one, contact Patrick Troyer, Education Specialist at 419-399-4771 or patrick.troyer@pauldingswcd.org.
