Behavioral Descriptions
Walking – while it may not sound interesting, some birds are actually hunting when walking and can quickly accelerate to catch prey. Can you spot what the bird wants to eat before it does?
Resting (Roosting) – Birds put out a lot of energy each day and need a few hours to relax. This one may not be obvious as resting birds can easily become a meal for others so you may have to look carefully to find one hiding out when sneaking in a nap.
Gathering Nesting Materials – Birds make their nests from a variety of materials including grass, spider webs, moss, sticks, and even mud. Find a bird constructing a nest and count the number of trips it makes to get an idea how much work it is to build a nest to raise its family. Make your own nest using things from your yard.
Mobbing – look for smaller birds dive-bombing larger predatory birds to chase them away. Many different species may even work together to protect their nests and/or young from threats. This will likely be a noisy chaotic scene.
Singing – Bird songs have been referred to as the music of the forest and are especially prevalent in the spring and summer. Males sing to impress females and to establish and defend their territory.
Bathing (water/dust bath) – Keeping clean is important for health and well-being. The reasons a bird takes a water or dust bath may not be well understood, but we do know many birds bathe. Some studies suggest that bathing plays an important role in feather maintenance.
Preening – Just like you brush your hair to remove tangles and keep it in the best condition you can, birds “preen” their feathers to keep them aligned and in the best condition they can. Afterall, a bird only grows new body feathers twice a year, and only gets new flight feathers once a year!
Territory Defense – Resources in a territory are not unlimited and birds defend their territory to preserve access to food and nesting sites. See if you can find fighting birds in your yard. Who is fighting? Are they the same or different species? What are they fighting over?
Climbing – While we typically think of birds flying everywhere, if you pay closer attention you will find many species of birds climbing up and down the trunks and branches of trees.
Foraging – How does your hunger drive what you do in life? For birds, finding food is a critical daily activity. See if you can identify what a specific bird eats and how it eats the foods it finds. Hint: A bird’s bill shape will reveal much about where it can forage and what it can eat.
Flying – Many, but not all, birds fly. Have you ever slowed down to actually watch how different birds fly? Some birds are quick, agile, and acrobatic in flight like fighter planes while other birds are slow, awkward, and clumsy flyers more akin to massive cargo aircraft. How easy is it for a bird to take to the skies? Some can effortless bounce straight into flight while some large waterfowl must get a running start with much effort before eventually lifting off.
Soaring – To me, soaring seems more like riding a bicycling rather than running down a hill. It still takes effort, but not nearly as much. Soaring birds can travel great distances with minimal effort. Whether searching for food or migrating, birds do their best to save energy however they can.
Hovering – Hovering allows a bird to stay in one location for a short period of time which can be very useful when feeding on flower nectar or hunting prey hidden in the brush below. Not all birds can hover so see if you can figure out which species can. Hint: Windy days might have more hovering birds than calm days!
Hunting – Who is it better to cheer for? Starving predators or elusive prey as they play out a high stakes struggle for life or death? Split second decisions are the difference between eating and being eaten. These hunts occur on countless occasions every day involving cunning, nerves of steel, agility, and stealth. Stay alert as they don’t last long.
Caring for Young – Humans are not the only species that cares for its young. Birds go through extraordinary lengths to raise families, sacrificing their own well being for their babies. See if you can find any evidence of good bird parenting.
Perching – Birds feet have tendons that force the toes to close when they sit down, automatically gripping the branch they are resting on (stay apparatus). This is how they can sleep without falling off the branch.
Flocking – Some birds are just social creatures forming huge flocks while others prefer the solitary life. Flocking offers many advantages including following healthy individuals to better feeding spots, hiding from predators in a large group, finding a mate, sharing warmth, or even saving energy during long flights. A flock may not even be all the same species of birds, so look closely to see how many species mix in your flock.
Pecking – Woodpeckers are particularly well adapted to listening for insects beneath the bark, pecking a hole, and using their long, barbed tongues to eat the hidden larvae. Pecking is also a valuable way to excavate a new nest cavity to raise a family.
Nesting – All birds lay eggs and require some sort of “nest” to rear their young. These nests can be simple bare patches on the ground all the way up to ornate structures complete with dummy eggs to avoid parasites. Birds will use any materials at hand, but each species has a distinct and dedicated type of nest you can learn to identify. Watch carefully to see what birds collect which types of nest material.
Pooping – What goes in, must come out. Many birders keep lists of things they observe. Which species of birds have they seen in their life, what foods they have seen birds eat, what birds they have seen in various states are but a few of the various types of lists birders keep. My favorite is the “crap list” reserved only for birds observed having a “comfort movement”.
Try Bird Color Bingo too!
Have you observed some awesome bird behaviors? Continue your birding adventure by playing Bird Color Bingo.
You Can Learn Much More About Birds By Visiting These Educational Sites:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/bird-id-skills-behavior/
https://nestwatch.org/
https://feederwatch.org/
