As seasoned birders, we see a lot of interesting activity and behaviors while out in the field observing our feathered friends. Birds still remain one of the most intriguing and mysterious creatures on our beautiful planet, and we are constantly monitoring their actions to learn more about these beautiful and interesting animals.
Here are a few of the most interesting behaviors of some well-known birds;
Killer Chickadees
These small, peaceful looking backyard songbirds are often seen as a regular fixture around most feeders. This being said, Europe’s Max Planck Institute of Ornithology has recorded rather barbaric activity by European Great Tits in which they enter hollow trees and attack and kill roosting bats, which they later consume. Pretty wild stuff, considering the innocent appearance of these common songbirds!
House-Wrecking Wrens
Another wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing culprit, the small and docile looking House Wren is a very territorial bird, often spending most of its time hunting and defending its territory. These little brown birds have been recorded not only chasing away other birds from their nesting sites but actually entering competing birds’ nests, piercing eggs and destroying the nest as best they can. Talk about owning the neighborhood!
Nuthatch Traps
A truly unique species of bird; the Red-breasted Nuthatch is equipped with hooked claws and flexible necks which allow them to easily scale a tree downwards, heading head-first. Its main purpose of doing so is to easily and quickly poke for insects and centipedes, the main component of their diet. This changes when the tree in question houses a Red-breasted Nuthatch nest. These little birds will actually install a ring of thick, toxic conifer resin around the edge of their nest, which obviously works very effectively at trapping and killing any potential predator that comes close enough.
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