What Birds Eat: How to Preserve the Natural Diet and Behavior of North American Birds

by Kim Long

Overview

• Explains bird physiology and natural diets, including detailed profiles of their food preferences
• Robust selection of photographs and illustrations

The more than 900 bird species in North America have natural diets ranging from seeds, foliage, nectar, and nuts to fish, insects, crustaceans, carrion, and mammals—and sometimes other birds! What Birds Eat explores the senses that birds depend on—sight, sound, odor, taste, and touch—and their food ingestion. Extensive feeding profiles then detail what various species eat naturally and how we can support those diets in backyards and feeders. What Birds Eat enriches our understanding, allowing us to engage more meaningfully with birds along the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680513004
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	08/24/2020
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,136,121
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kim Long is a naturalist and the author or co-author of 22 books, including Owls (1998), Hummingbirds (1997), and The Moon Almanac (2018). Visit him online at WhatBirdsEat.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

How Birds Evolved 10

Dinosaurs with Feathers 10

The First Real Birds 15

Ancient Food 18

Survivors of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction 20

The Diversification of Birds 21

The Anatomy and Physiology of How Birds Eat 27

External Anatomy 29

Sensory Physiology 56

Digestive Organs and Processes 91

Feeding Behavior of Birds 114

When Birds Eat 115

How Much Is Enough? 120

Eating in Flocks 123

Do Birds Drink Water? 124

Getting Enough Calcium 127

How Do Birds Get Grit? 130

Bird Diets: Insects 133

Nutritional Value of Insects 135

Which Insects Do Birds Eat? 138

Insect Predation of Plants 148

Bird Diets: Plants 161

Seeds 161

Nuts 179

Fruit 189

Vegetation 193

Nectar (Flowers) 198

Sap 200

Bird Diets: Animals 203

Mammals 203

Birds 209

Aquatic Prey 210

Carrion 219

Bird Diet Profiles 224

Challenges and Solutions 259

An Introduced Invasion 259

Toxins 263

Extinction 278

How to Support Birds 285

Protect Gardens and Yards Responsibly 286

Grow Bird-Positive Plants 292

Be Feeder Friendly 297

Keep Learning 313

Acknowledgments 318

Resources 319

Bibliography 323

Photo Credits 349

Index 352

Editorial Reviews

A good general overview of the subject.

The Birdbooker Report

Comprehensive and interesting... Author Kim Long and publisher Mountaineers Books provide a robust selection of photos and illustrations, and help birders to understand birds in more meaningful ways in the field and in our yards in the new book: What Birds Eat. What Birds Eat enriches our understanding of birds overall.

The Birding Wire

Profusely illustrated in full color throughout, 'What Birds Eat: How to Preserve the Natural Diet and Behavior of North American Birds' is a comprehensively informative survey that is impressively organized and throughly 'reader friendly.'

Midwest Book Review

Surely the most appealing and beautiful bird book of the year. Even those not among dedicated ornithologists will enjoy pages chock a bloc with details and complimented by glorious color photos.... The chapters, clearly organized and reader-friendly, recognize the challenges and solutions to ensure the birds’ good health. What a delightful book!

Portland Book Review - Jane Manaster