How do clinging birds crack and eat seeds? (2 Viewers)

[walterbyrd]

I have a sunflower seed feeder that requires birds to cling to it - there is no perch.

How do bird cling to the side, and eat the seeds? Do they, somehow, crack the shell, eat the seed, and drop the shell, using only their beaks and tounge? There is no place for the birds to set the seed down.

Maybe they just put the whole shelled seed in their crop?

 

[Jim M.]

Regardless of the type of feeder, many birds fly to a tree, set the SF seed down on the tree, and then hammer at the husk until it opens.

Jim

 

[Chosun Juan]

Walt, I don't go in for all this feeder stuff, and sunflower seeds etc, so I don't have a handle on what type of birds you're referring to.

Though, I have on many occassions observed our Rosella, and other type parrots, clinging any which way but up! from the canopy and eating seeds using only their beaks and tongue. They do this in an amazing array of forms, from crushing, to can-opener type rotating of the pod via the tongue, and everyhing in between.

I'd think they'll find a way ..... though, if there's lots of spillage and waste, you may end up with vermin problems. A good point for all the feeders out there - you'd probably be amazed by the noctural visits by vermin that a night-vision cam would capture! :eek!:

Chosun :gh:

 

[ovenbird43]

A number of birds do manage to crack open seeds while holding it in their bills- finches and Northern Cardinals come to mind. It's kind of neat to watch the deft, rapid movements of their bills as they open the seed, work the shell out and drop it from their beak, and consume the seed, all without holding it with a foot/wedging it in the bark of a tree (as chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches do).

 

[walterbyrd]

The birds I get on the clinging feeder include: house finches, chickadees, grackles, and - surprisingly - a big northern flicker.

I have a lovebird who gets an occasional sunflower seed as a treat (lovebirds can develop fatty liver disease if they eat too many sunflower seeds). She also looks for a platform to eat the seed from. Maybe she just wants to be careful because she gets so few?

 

[Socar MYLES]

It probably isn't that hard for them. I mean, think about eating a sunflower seed, yourself--you probably put it in your mouth, suck the salt off the shell, crack the shell with your teeth, tongue the seed out, then spit out the shell. Similarly, the bird probably cracks the shell, works the seed free, then lets the shell bits fall to the ground. (Or carries it away and uses a foot to hold down the seed, in the case of some small-beaked birds.)

 

[Reuven_M]

The birds I get on the clinging feeder include: house finches, chickadees, grackles, and - surprisingly - a big northern flicker.

I have a lovebird who gets an occasional sunflower seed as a treat (lovebirds can develop fatty liver disease if they eat too many sunflower seeds). She also looks for a platform to eat the seed from. Maybe she just wants to be careful because she gets so few?

House finches, as with other finches and sparrows, have bills specially designed to crack seeds. I suspect grackles and flickers can also crack seeds with their large bills. You'll notice that chickadees will normally hold a seed in their feet and hammer it open with their bill, as they are unable to crack it with their bill alone.

 

[walterbyrd]

I took the feeder down. A squirrel was getting into it. Same squirrel has been tearing up my finch socks.

May need to get another squirrel baffle.

Or invest in a BB gun - just kidding.

 

[walterbyrd]

BTW: I have noticed that grackles do not seem to be good seed eaters. The - much smaller - finches put the grackles to shame when it comes to eating seeds. In fact, the grackles seem to have some trouble with unshelled peanuts. They want to take the peanuts to the bird bath, and dip the peanuts in water, presumably to soften up the peanuts.