Gardening
Wild Bird Foods That Fit the Bill

(ARA) - Many bird lovers purchase specialty bird seed mixes to attract specific types of birds. They buy cardinal food to attract cardinals and special finch food to lure finches. People understand that certain birds like particular types of food, but what most don't know is that the food a bird prefers has a lot to do with its bill (also referred to as a bird's beak).

The bill is one of the most significant and defining characteristics of a bird's appearance. Like feathers, bills are unique to birds, and their shape and size are often used by bird watchers to identify them. The bill is used for a number of purposes, from communicating to mating and gathering nesting materials. More importantly, it's a highly useful tool used to accomplish a bird's most important function -- feeding.

Birds use their bills as dinner utensils to crush, crack and snap shells off of seeds, chisel, peck, poke and drill tree bark for insects, and sip, suck and probe flowers for nectar. The kind of bill a bird has is a very good clue to its diet. Many birds have a specialized bill which limits the food they can eat. That's why specialty mixes exist.

Conical bills, like those found on cardinals, finches and grosbeaks, are thick and sturdy -- great for cracking and shelling seeds like Nyjer and safflower seeds. In fact, these birds have bills that are strong enough to crack seeds as hard as cherry pits. However, not all conical bills are the same.

Some are more slender, as on the goldfinch and pine siskin, which allows them to probe deep to extract seeds. The red-and white-winged crossbills are the only two birds in America who have the most specialized bill of all the finches. Their "crossed-over" bill allows them to remove seeds from cones, pry bark from trees to uncover insects and split open fruit to extract the seeds.

Other birds such as woodpeckers have strong bills that taper to a tip and are ideal for chiseling through wood for insects or sap. The downy woodpecker has bristles around its bill, protecting its nostrils from sawdust, while the yellow-bellied sapsucker drills holes in trees to access the internal river of sap. Besides insects and sap, woodpeckers prefer fruit and tree seeds.

Birds like warblers have thin, slender beaks to pick insects off of leaves, twigs and bark. Tiny bills, like those on black-capped chickadees, are able to get into small places to eat insects that are hiding. Chickadees also open seeds by jamming them into tree crevices and then hammering the seeds with their bills, or even holding them in their feet, pecking their bills against them.

Generally, birds are quite practical. They will choose the best food available within the limits of their bill size and shape. By providing food like specialty mixes that are made to include nuts and seeds that fit the bill, bird enthusiasts can better attract and enjoy their favorite outdoor pets.

Courtesy of ARAcontent