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Living & Eating Habits of Wild Birds

Watching wild birds, either from your backyard window or from a vantage point outdoors, is enjoyable for people of almost any age. You can buy binoculars and guidebooks, of course, but the great thing about bird watching is that you can enjoy this hobby without spending a cent. Understanding the living and eating habits of wild birds will tell you much of what you need to know to find them. Several publishers print field guides to birds, which are helpful for identifying birds in your area and learning about their habits.

Backyard Birds
- Installing one or more feeders in your backyard will attract wild birds.
  
  You'll see the most activity with backyard birds during the first few hours of daylight and then again towards dusk. The type of birds you'll be able to see depends on the region of the country in which you live. You can attract birds native to your area by providing their ideal conditions. For example, sparrows and finches are seed eaters and they like grassy areas. Hummingbirds are attracted to tubular red flowers, which you can simulate with a hummingbird feeder filled with sweet, red liquid. The nuthatch, easily recognizable because of its habit of creeping downwards on a tree trunk, stores food for the winter in the crevices of bark. Some birds migrate, so the types of birds you see in your backyard will also depend on the season.
By the Sea
- Watching birds can be part of a great day at the beach.
  
  Unlike backyard birds, which are generally active early morning and late afternoon, most shore birds are busy all day long. Go to the beach and you're likely to see plovers, sandpipers, gulls, terns and auks. These birds generally have long legs that enable them to wade in the water to look for food. Sometimes it may appear that these birds are eating sand or mud, but they are burrowing with their beaks to find creatures hidden under the surface. Another interesting bird to watch at the beach is the pelican, a relative of the cormorant. Pelicans eat fish, crustaceans and even smaller birds. Birds that live by the water usually make their nests in grassy areas. They seek higher ground to keep their nests safe and dry.
Forest and Field
- Walk through the woods and enjoy the sights and sounds of wild birds.
  
  Many birds that live in forests and fields are insect eaters. Woodcocks, which nest in shallow depressions on the ground, eat earthworms. Owls are birds of prey and feed on small animals like mice. Red-tailed hawks, which can be seen year-round in almost every part of the United States, are also birds of prey. Watch them soar in wide circles over a field.

Nature