[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Vince Lucas on 17:23:01 12/10/07
A couple of members of the Caloosa Bird Club passed on to me this observation of feeding Boat-tailed Grackles at Ft. Myers Beach, where BTW, the Long-billed Curlew remains as of Sunday, December 9th):
"We (Jane Murt & JoAnn Kelley) spotted Boat-tailed Grackles on Sunday Dec. 9 on Ft Myers Beach. They were opening and eating coquinas in the sand and near the water and acting like shore birds. There were 15 to 20 of them. It was low tide and I had not seen grackles looking for food on the beach like this before. Is there an explanation for this behavior?"
Personally, I have not witnessed this type of feeding behavior in Boat-tailed Grackles myself. I'm wondering how common it is? Have any of you seen this behavior? Here's what Stevenson & Anderson have to say about it in __The Birdlife Of Florida__ on page 675:
"Most foraging is done on the ground, as the grackle walks, often holding its long, keeled tail high. Frequently it wades into shallow water or forages on floating vegetation. The species eats Apple Snails, Ampularia sp. fresh-water mussels, insects, spiders, small fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds (G.T. Bancroft in litt.), bird eggs, carrion, and human garbage. Weed seeds and waste grain comprise most of its vegetative diet; it rarely visits bird feeders. During winter 1940-41, Sprunt (1941d) observed these grackles at Lake Okeechobee harassing Glossy Ibis until they forfeited their crayfish catches."
Thanks in advance.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]