Bird Myths

1. If I leave out my feeder too long in the fall, hummingbirds won’t migrate south. Same is true for other migrating birds.

   This one pops up frequently, especially in August. Understand that birds are hardwired to behave the way the do.

   Birds can not resist the urge to migrate anymore than I could resist the urge to breathe. I can hold my breath, but in the end, the urge to breath will force me to draw air.

   You should leave your feeders out for the hummers. When they stop at your station, they’re refueling for a long-distance flight (across the Gulf of Mexico to Northern Panama), and your doing them a HUGE favor.

2. Purple martins eat 2,000 mosquitoes per day.Nope! A bird myth perpetuated by the manufacturers of martin boxes via their literature.

   In their defense, they are basing the number on an incident where a dead martin, found over a marsh, had 300 mosquitoes in its belly. That means about 2,000 in a day. But that’s just ONE bird folks.

   Loads of research indicate that purple martins eat very few mosquitoes and in fact, regularly ingest much larger bugs like black flies and dragon flies. Besides, though mosquitoes are a pest the day long, they are most abundant at sunset, right when martins settle down for the night.

   In addition, there is just no way a bird with the metabolic rate of martin could ever thrive on such a diet. If you have martins and no mosquitoes, thank all those other bug-eating birds and bats, too! That they eat mosquitoes is a birding myth.

3. Storms carry small birds to strange places.Bird myth! Little passerines are not designed to cope with gale force winds, true enough. But birds ground themselves in such weather. They simply hunker down. There is no proof of weather-born flights to strange places. Why it happens is still being debated.

4. Don’t touch that bird, mother will abandon it.Hogwash! If you find a chick on the ground, it’s usually best to leave it be because the parents are near by. They’re keeping clear at the time because you are there.

   If you want, pick it up and return it to the nest. Momma and poppa bird don’t mind a bit. Most birds can’t smell squat, so don’t worry about it.

5. Gulls explode!This bird myth always makes me laugh. To the dismay of mischievous boys, this is a popular one with absolutely no merit whatsoever. But...it’s hard not to smile at the thought an airborne gull exploding mid-flight after swallowing an Alka Seltzer.

   Don’t know what the psychology of that is, but I’m sure its why this myth holds on. Could be a guy thing—we like to blow up things. But anyway, gulls eat all kinds of crap—trust me, they can handle Alka Seltzer.

6. Hummingbirds migrate on the backs of geese.This is one of my favorites. True, hummer migration is amazing! And geese are cool, too. But look at their patterns. Generally speaking, there is NO overlap in the migration of hummingbirds and geese.

   Most hummers are long gone before the first geese come south from the Artic. If a hummer is still there when the geese arrive, he ain’t gonna make it.

7. Uncooked rice swells up in the belly of birds and causes them to explode.Akin to the gull/Alka Seltzer myth, the ice-in-the-belly-explosion myth has been around for years. Fact is, there are birds in the wild that eat rice naturally.

   Bobolinks are a great example. Still not convinced? Well, rather than rice, throw birdseed at your wedding!

8. Birds choke on peanut butter. Bird myth, folks. Unlike people, birds eat tiny bits at a time and can handle peanut butter just fine. It’s good for ’em!

9. Birds depend on feeder stations.Not true. Birds get use to a reliable source of food, but seek out many sources. In this way, if a source dries up, they can still eat.

   If you stop feeding in the dead of winter, it can be a hardship, but even then, birds are adept at locating other sources. Always remember, birds are foraging machines.

   And there you have it--10 common bird myths in all their glory! Keep believing them if you like. Just remember to not be swayed from feeding the birds...
   
   
   
   
   I hope you found this article about bird myths useful. Click here for more great information about bird feeders and bird houses.