Crosswords0 min ago
Perching Wild Birds
14 Answers
I've turned my back garden into a bird-friendly site, and above it there is a telephone wire to adjacent houses.
It interests me to watch birds perch on the wire to suss out the garden before descending - the interest comes from spotting which birds are natural perchers, and which ones find it quite a struggle. Chaffinches for example happily perch there for ages, Starlings however struggle to keep their balance and don't stop for long. Pigeons and Seagulls don't even try.
[A canary of course would have no problem ;-) ]
It interests me to watch birds perch on the wire to suss out the garden before descending - the interest comes from spotting which birds are natural perchers, and which ones find it quite a struggle. Chaffinches for example happily perch there for ages, Starlings however struggle to keep their balance and don't stop for long. Pigeons and Seagulls don't even try.
[A canary of course would have no problem ;-) ]
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It's all to do with their toes, Canary42. Passerines (who're mainly songbirds) have three toes forward and one backward, enabling them to perch easily. Non-passerines have different toe arrangements although, somewhat confusingly, some of them are still able to perch.
If you reckon you know your British passerines, try the quiz here:
https:/
I'm ashamed to admit I only scored 15 out of 23 :(
If you reckon you know your British passerines, try the quiz here:
https:/
I'm ashamed to admit I only scored 15 out of 23 :(
My ornithologist friend would definitely not be impressed with my score.
However I was once delighted to point out her error when she said to me "Look at all of those crows in that field!". I'll never forget the embarrassed expression on her face when I reminded her that crows are solitary birds and her flock of 'crows' were actually rooks ;-)
However I was once delighted to point out her error when she said to me "Look at all of those crows in that field!". I'll never forget the embarrassed expression on her face when I reminded her that crows are solitary birds and her flock of 'crows' were actually rooks ;-)
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