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twinkle toes
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: twinkle toes
- From: "Leah Campbell" <faeriemaiden@hotmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2002 14:39:56 -0500
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Anyone ever observe passerines other than corvids (crows, jays) or parids
(chickadees, titmice) with the ability to eat food clutched in their feet?
Sometimes they remind me of little bandits -- always eating on the run. What
an advantage this must provide, enabling them to take food to a safe perch.
In addition, they appear to open seeds and nuts with relative ease -- much
more efficient than the "sledge hammer" technique. (I once watched a brown
thrasher going after an acorn in this fashion.) I wonder what gives the
parids and corvids such a unique ability. Is it inherited or learned? Do
they actually have more dextrous toes than other birds? I have read that
corvids are likely the most intelligent of all birds. Where do parids fit
in? One might even liken them to miniature corvids. Compare a bridled
titmouse to a blue jay or a chickadee to a gray jay.
Anyone with knowledge or thoughts on the subject, please share them with me.
Thanks,
Leah
Leah Campbell
Cornwell, SC
faeriemaiden@hotmail.com
"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence."
Robert Lynd
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