Wild Birds' Beaks or Bills

       Wild birds' beaks or bills (used interchangeably) are used for various functions other than eating.  That is the primary purpose of the beak or bill is for eating.  The type of beak or bill a wild bird possesses determines what food its diet primarily consists of. The beak is used as a wild birds tool for prying, drilling and probing.  In the breeding season several wild birds (puffins for example) beaks display brighter or different colors than their norm to attract a mate.  Storks and cranes use their bills in mating rituals by bill clapping or dancing while the bills are touching, while grouse and other wild birds drum with their beaks to attract a partner.  Beaks or bills are important in nest construction whether it be picking up materials for the construction or the actual forming of the nest.  Beaks come in various sizes, shapes, and types.  Sometimes the beaks look quite similar but upon closer inspection there are subtle differences  which is specific for that particular wild bird.  I have tried to simplify the types of birds beaks by placing them in five general categories.  Most wild birds have their niche but several types of wild birds will go between the groups.  The general categories are: seed eaters, insect eaters, fruit and nectar eaters, fish eaters and meat eaters    It is my intent to familiarize you to the world of wild birds beaks and to their function.
       Wild birds beaks or bills consist of two bony structures the upper mandible and the lower mandible.  These structures are covered with a thin layer of keratin.  In the wild birds' world the keratin gets replaced many times due to wear.  Due to the various functions a beak or bill plays in the life of wild birds their bills don't need trimming or cutting as with domestic birds.  Though wild birds beaks or bills look heavy, the structures are hollow and lightweight so the bird can still fly.  Now let's explore the world of wild birds beaks
       Seed eaters fall into two groups.. large seed eaters and small seed eaters.
       Large seed eaters have a large powerful heavy looking conical beak.  This beak or bill has the ability to crush large seeds for maples, pines, spruce and sunflowers.  On the outer ridge of the mandibles (upper and lower bony structures of the beak) there are ridges called Tomia that help slice the shell of the seed so the bird can eat the seed kernels.  Cardinals and grosbeaks are just two wild birds that have this type of beak.
       Small seed eaters have a much smaller heavy beak to crush smaller seeds such as millet, milo,grass seed and thistle.  Sparrows, juncos, buntings and goldfinch are some of the wild birds in this group.
       Nectar eaters have long straw like thin bills used to probe flowers for the nectar.  The bill has a slightly downward curve which allows the bird to get further inside the flower to reach the sugary substance.  Hummingbirds will "sip" nectar from tubular flowers using its long beak and tongue.  The beaks actual purpose is to protect the bird's extremely long tongue which has troughs or grooves along it so nectar gets pulled from the flower through capillary action, feeding the bird and looking as if it is sipping the nectar.  Oriole get their nectar by eating the petals of flowers of fruit trees such as apples and cherries.  They will also visit nectar feeders.
       Nectar and fruit eaters bills tend to be longer and narrower than the seed eating group but not as long as the hummingbirds' beak.  Scarlet tanagers, orioles and vireos all fit into this category using their beaks to pick pieces of fruit for their eating pleasure.  Toucans are fruit eaters possessing a very colorful large bill which has the ability to crush large seeds and pick large fruit such as avocados off of trees.  
       Insect eating birds have very short beaks but can open their mouths very wide enabling these wild birds to catch insects or bugs on the fly.  The beak has bristles around it to aid in catching or netting   any bugs as they fly past the bird or any bug in the birds path.  Inside the mouth of these wild birds are backward bumps which directs the food downwards.  Swallows, swifts and nighthawks belong to this group.  Warblers, vireos, kinglets and gnatcatches have short pointed bills.  The bills are tweezer like and slender allowing the birds to pick or tweeze the bugs off of tree branches and leaves.  This group of wild birds is very beneficial due to the amount of insects they consume. The beaks in the insect eating class are extremely small compared to the bird's head. 
       Probers possess longer and pointed beaks than insect eating birds.  Their bills look slightly heavier and thicker in depth though they are hollow inside making them lightweight.  Robins, grackles and flickers use their bills to probe the ground for grubs, insects and larvae.  Many waterbirds have probing beaks though theirs tend to be even longer and heavier than land bird probers.  Ibis, curlew, wimbels, snipe and godwit possess thick long pointed beaks with a downward curve to probe the mud or shallow waters. for invertebrates and aquatic insects.  Other wild birds stir the water with their beaks to find food particles. They use their beaks in a tweezing motion to put water droplets into their mouths which then releases the water and the bird gets to eat the food particles.  Avocets on the other hand have upward turning bills that they swing from side to side in the water feeling for crustaceans, insects, seeds and other prey.  Dowitchers have a thick long straight beak for probing the water in a sewing machine motion for their dinner. 
       Chiselers have an ever so slightly curved heavy thick pointed bill.  The beaks or bills on these wild birds are used to chisel out holes for nesting sites and raising a family.  The beak hits an object at approximately 6-7 m/sec.  Woodpeckers are probers and chiselers.  They probe trees for bugs while chiseling and hammering the tree trunk for food and dwelling.  Yellow bellied sapsucker drill holes in trees to extract sap from the tree which it will sup upon. The sap will then attract other insect eating wild birds such as flickers.
       Tearing and ripping bills are considered possessions of wild birds that hunt. The bills are thick and heavy looking and hook at the end.  The hook is extremely pointed and sharp.  The hook's job is to pierce and tear.  These wild birds have a little tooth on the upper mandible and a corresponding space on the lower mandible which pierces and severes the spinal cord of the prey.  The tooth aids in securing the prey while the bird is in flight.  The pointed hook then rips or tears the catch into pieces the bird can eat.  Hawks, eagles, osprey and owls are all  hunters and possess this kind of bill.  Vultures though not hunters but opportunists feeding on dead carrion also fall into this category.
       Fish eaters are sub divided into several groups for simplicity sake.  The groups are the stabbers, skimmers and scoopers.    
       Stabbers have very lengthy thick pointy beaks that can gradually taper or just jumps to a point.The beak is used to stab or spear the birds dinner.  In herons and egrets the beak spears their prey and then they flip the bill upwards and the food goes down the gullet whole be it a mouse, snake or crustacean.
        Skimmers have a longer lower mandible than its upper mandible.  This allows the bird to fly over the water while keeping the lower jaw submerged till it feels a fish.  Once a fish is felt the jaw snaps shut with the upper mandible holds the fish in place.  The American or Black Skimmer with its reddish beak is the noted bird for this kind of fishing.
       Scoopers have a very extended beak with extra skin under the lower mandible that forms a net or pouch.  The pouch can hold up to three gallons of water when expanded.  When the bill snaps shut the pouch contracts draining and filtering the water out but leaving whats left for the bird to eat in one swallow.  White pelicans either swim or fly above the water and scoop large amounts of water into their pouch..  Brown pelicans dive for their food but as their exiting the water they scoop up large quantities of water also.
        Strainers or filter beaks are flatter and wider than the beaks previously discussed.  The Roseate Spoonbill has a very long  flat spoon shaped bill.  It leaves the bill partially open while it moves the beak back and forth through the water until it feels a fish. At that point the bill snaps closed capturing dinner.  The bill filters out the water so all that's left is the crustacean, aquatic insects or fish for the spoonbill's dinner.  Ducks and swan have much shorter, flatter and broader bills than most land birds.  Ducks and several other waterfowl have comb like structures on the edge of their beaks called lamella.  This structure allows the bill to seine or filter mud and water out leaving just the grasses, insects and small fish in the duck's bill.  Mergansers have a more sawtooth ridge which assists in catching and securing amphibians and crustaceans.  
        When trying to identify wild birds note the bill type and size.  The shape of the beak can give clues to what the wild birds primary diet is so it may be attracted to the backyard or spotted eating its favorite food.  Wild birds in all areas have the same types of bills as listed above so if abroad the same identification should be used to find what wild birds have been sighted.  In the spring or mating season when the wild birds return, note the bill color or the dance and bill clapping in the rituals for it is truly interesting to watch.  If you are in need of some good wild bird products such as guide books or identification books please visit the website www.WildBirdSeedMart.com.  The website offers wild bird seed and nectar products.  Feeding stations for wild birds and nesting boxes are also available.  Birdbaths which offer fresh water drinking helps to bring wild birds to the yard.  Make the yard a wild bird habitat by providing shelter, food, and water.         

A Contest For Wild Birds

When my husband ( then boyfriend) came to live with me about 17 years ago he knew nothing about wild birds or birding.  His idea of wild birds was seagulls, crows, pigeons and blue jays.  He is right, they are wild birds but there are alot more birds than that I exclaimed.  He lived by the water so I thought he would know some water loving wild birds but I guess the area was too over populated and noisy for the birds that he never saw or noticed them.  My house is by the water but located in what was once considered farm country.  As I was interested in wild birds this was a great place to live.  The farm fields would be exploding in spring with all kinds of songs and birds.  Meadowlarks would be flitting by and singing while bobwhites marched through the grass calling bob bob white.  Plovers and killdeer would be in the freshly plowed fields. It was great!  Progress started to set in and many of the wild birds of yesteryear started to disappear and haven't been seen in several years.  So I decided to attract wild birds to my backyard by planting fruit trees and flowers.  When my boyfriend moved in the poor guy took over the hole digging and grass mowing.  He knew nothing about gardening except he was allergic to grass and some other environmental stuff ( hay fever ).  He learned and he learned alot though there was a great bit of protesting.  To make things a little more fun we decided to have a contest.  First with the flowers and gardening.  A list of plants and their purpose had to be proposed by both of us though separately.  Once done it went to an arbitrator who knew nothing about plants.  You had to argue the points and then she would chose the plants to be planted.  Whoever had the most plants on her list would win and take the other one out to dinner of the winners choice.  That contest worked  so well we decided to do it for wild birds but with a smaller prize.  We still do this contest to this day though the rules have been modified throughout the years.  This years rule is finding 10 new wild birds.  By new it is meant new arrivals to the area for the season or migrating thru.  Eight of these wild birds have to be confirmed the other two can be sightings on the honor system.  Now I have to admit I have had the advantage for many years because I knew my avian friends.  So I thought.  Wild birds such as robins, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and mourning doves are not counted because they're here all year long.  So we're waiting for the "new arrivals" to come.  The weather must not be just right because our feathered friends seem to be late in arriving.  Wild birds and wildlife have a better understanding about timing than we do but they missed their arrival date.  Usually I start seeing them come May 1st  but that date has come and gone by several days.  Oh wait ... is that a Baltimore Oriole I hear?  Where are you?  Ah Ha!   He's on the nectar feeder so I'm one step closer to winning the contest because at this point my husband and I are tied at six apiece with different birds.   I figured he's fixing the pond so he's not looking for the birds.  Silly me.  He comes rushing in an hour later crowing he won! What?  How?  I thought you were fixing the pond.  He claims he was when a male and female Baltimore Oriole landed in the white oak above him.  I contest , that's my male Baltimore Oriole.  I saw him at the nectar feeder first.  Show me the female.  As if on cue she flies right past us into the cherry tree.  All right you get that round but not the male.  What other ones did you see?  Before he could say anything I spotted a purple finch which is new to our area and had been confirmed by other "birders" they were spotted. There I thought, I showed you.  He just shakes his head, he is so good natured I'm thinking; then he springs on me you still lose.  There are two of your favorite wild birds over on the side feeder that have been visiting all morning.  I look and there he's pointing to a pair of indigo buntings.  Not only that sweetheart you missed your other favorite one, " the dinosaur bird".  He is referring to the rose breasted grosbeak.  How he and my daughter arrived at that name I can not tell you.  It's making a nest in the rhododendron literally right under my nose.  I contest! I contest!  Not fair! I'm such a sore loser sometimes.  I truly don't mind losing to him in a contest of darts or horseshoes but this is my contest. I'm the one who taught you about wild birds and birding I'm thinking.  However, I do gracefully concede, for he won fair and square.  I'll just get him back when we have  our summer contest while barb-a-queuing and looking for the insect eating wild birds.  For tonight I reckon I'll be making butter pecan ice cream for his prize.  For wild bird field guides or for any wild bird products to help attract wild birds to your yard please visit my website www.WildBirdSeedMart.com. 

Creating A Woodland Shade Garden

What is a woodland shade garden?  How is it different from any other shade garden?  There are several different types of shade gardens each one is dictated by the amount of light or sunshine available to the garden.  It is understood in quantifying hours of light that it is calculated from mid-morning (10:00am.) to evening(6:00pm.).  In defining the light shade garden the area would be completely shaded  for only 2-4 hours within the time frame of mid- morning to evening.  For filtered shade gardens the garden would be shaded completely throughout the day with the sun's rays penetrating through the tree canopy.  The more open the tree canopy is the more light filters down to the plants.  For example, a tree canopy created of locust, birch and willow will allow a lot more light or sun rays in than one made up of oak and maple.  Part shade is shade in which structures or a crop of trees planted close together cast their shadows for 4-5 hours over the garden; however;  the sun shines on the area as it moves throughout the day.  Full shade is dark shade prevailing all day long whether it is from a tall structure or out hangings such as a porch roof.  Multi tiered forest canopies create this kind of shade. The light which does get in is from reflection off of the buildings or passive daylight.  Last is dense shade.  This is defined as no light reaching the garden floor.  This is created by thick wood canopies of conifers, maples and heavy low branching trees.
The woodland shade garden encompasses all of the above shade categories at various times of the year and day.  For the purpose of this article the woodland shade garden is going to start at the edge of the woods and incorporate the wooded area.  The shade garden is well drained and has much organic matter in the soil.  The soil is acidic due to the decaying leaf litter which will get amended as I plant the garden.  For spring time flowering bulbs will be planted.  The main flowers will be daffodils, crocus and star of Bethlehem to naturalize the garden. There is no problem with these flowers developing and getting the amount of sunlight to flower because the tree canopy is still dormant.  Next Tiarella (foamflowers) and pulmonaria will be planted for they like moist soil  and partial shade.  Both plants have interesting leaves which are eye catching in a shade garden.  Tiarella have shiny maple shape deep lobed leaves with pink or cream markings on them.  Pulmonaria leaves are speckled with silver.  Both plants mature to no more than 12 inches in height so should be planted in the front of the shade garden.  I try to make the woodland shade garden natural looking.  These plants are planted in different areas of the garden to give the appearance they grew there naturally.  The hardiness zones for these plants are 3-7 and 3-8 respectively.
Naturalize the woodland shade garden with some native plants to help restore and promote their dwindling numbers in the wild.  Remember not to take them out of their elements but to buy these plants and bulbs from reputable nurseries.  In many states it is illegal to pick and take wild flowers.  There are many natives to choose from depending on where your residence is.  Here in the northeast (I live in New York) zone 6b, are some of my choices:  bloodroot, trillium, dog tooth violets, Virginia bluebells, lady slippers and Jack in the Pulpits.   Most of these plants prefer moist soil with organic matter either compost or decaying leaf litter and good drainage.
Trillium is a flowering bulb also known as "Great White Trillium" or  "Wake Robin".  The plant gets a  three white petalled flower with three leaves and three sepals.  The plant emits a smelly odor to attract pollinators such as bees, the pale swallowtail and the Virginia White butterfly.  There is also a red trillium available.
Bloodroot belongs to the poppy family.  In the spring the leaf is curled around the stalk developing into a large deep lobed leaf.  Bloodroot gets a single white 8-10 petal flower.  The plant gets its name from the Native Americans because when the root is cut it oozes a red blood colored juice that they used to make dyes and face paint. 
Goat's beard was given its name from the Latin word aryngos (Aruncus) meaning goat's beard because the plumes or flowers on this plant are white like a goat beard.  This plant grows 4-6 feet in part shade and slightly smaller in full shade.  It is a very showy plant once established.  The leaves are clumped at the base and are fern like in appearance with the plumes rising above the leaves on tall spike branches.  The plant is a dioecious plant meaning it has all male flowers or all female flowers.  The male plant is slightly showier than the female.  Native Americans used this plant for medicinal purposes in curing fevers and blood diseases.  Goat's beard makes a good backdrop for the woodland shade garden with the appearance of flowers in May  to July.
Wild columbine is an early spring native wildflower which tolerates most soils even drier soils.  It performs best in part to filtered shade yielding red and yellow blossoms.  The flowers are nectar rich so it attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds, bumblebees and butterflies.  The plant is the host plant of Duskywing butterflies.  Native Americans made washes with the various parts of the plant including a infusion for poison ivy.  Hopefully their remedy is better than the stuff on the market today.
Bleeding hearts and Dutchman's Breeches are native herbaceous plants that bloom in April to June.  These flowers resemble upside down pantaloons of pink and white or maroon and white on three parted fern like leaves  They prefer moist shady areas (they will melt in the hot sun) growing to about 10 -12 inches high.  They spread via underground roots from a scaly bulb.  They are toxic to many animals if eaten thus given the name stagger plant.  Both these plants add softness and grace to the woodland shade garden. 
The bones of the woodland shade garden are azaleas and rhododendrons which like the acidic moist soil.  The more light they get the more flowers they will produce but they do not like the hot or full sun.  These are good choices if you wish to attract wild birds because they provide shelter and protection with the dense branching habit.  Many a cardinal or robin nest can be found in them. 
Summersweet Clethra or Pepperbush flowers profusely for 4-6 weeks in July to August.  This upright 4-8 feet shrub hails bottle brush spicy scented flowers in the summer when few trees and shrubs flower.   The plant does spread sending underground rhizomes throughout the area so it needs to be kept in check occasionally.  Clethra likes to be near water and likes moist organic soil.  It will tolerate a sunny location.  It develops brown seed pods that persist for 2 years on the bush.  This shrub does make a good hedge row or perimeter border. 
 Ligularia works well in the woodland shade garden.  It can grow 8 feet high with a width of 6 feet if the conditions are what the plant likes.  They like very moist but well drained organic fertile soil.  The leaves are interesting and eye appealing.  Some ligularia have heart shaped rounded coppery leaves while others have deeply toothed bright green leaves.  The flowers range from orange to yellow daisy shaped to high tall spikes of blooms.  They add wonderful bright color to the garden throughout summer to the fall season.  These plants do not tolerate sun and will melt so provide them with water if necessary and they will give you bold bright flowers and satisfaction. 
Adding ferns to the shade garden helps soften the garden and adds texture.  Ferns can be found in many different leaf shapes from delicate looking leaves to big ostrich leaves.  Their colors can go from the two toned painted fern look to the brilliant orange red coloring of the cultivar Autumn fern, Brilliance.  Place ferns such as deer fern or hart's tongue with hosta, tiarella and coral bells which like filtered sun and make the shiny fronds shimmer in the light. Ferns are a good choice for holding ground on a slope because of their spreading or creeping rhizomes which helps in erosion control.
The woodland shade garden does not have to be dull and boring just because of the shade.  Many wild birds will seek the shelter of the tree canopy above the garden to forage for insects or spiders.  Several of the woodland shade plants offer berries and nectar providing food for wild birds and wildlife through the nesting and general season.  The plumes and fern leaves are good nest building material too.  Place bird baths in strategic spots so the wild birds can get fresh water for bathing and drinking.  Add a path with dried leaves, mulch or pine needles that leads to a nice sitting area to watch the birds and wildlife.  Grab a good book and relax or keep handy a wild bird field guide to look up the wild birds that come to visit.  Remember to check the plants that are being planted so no invasives are added to the landscaping and use legal plants to restore them to their natural habitat.  Please go to the website www.WildBirdSeedMart.com for any of your wild birds needs.  We offer many different products including birdbaths and seed from some leading wild bird companies.