Photography of Birds – Set # 238

Set # 238

European Starling

European Starling

European Starling

Large flocks of European Starlings, typical of this species can be beneficial to agriculture by controlling invertebrate pests; however, starlings can also be pests themselves when they feed on fruit and sprouting crops. Common starlings may also be a nuisance through the noise and mess caused by their large urban roosts. Introduced populations in particular have been subjected to a range of controls, including culling, but these have had limited success, except in preventing the colonisation of Western Australia.

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher is omnivorous, which has a diet that includes insects, berries, nuts and seeds, as well as earthworms, snails, and sometimes lizards and frogs. Across seasons and its breeding range, it was found 63% of stomach contents were made of animal matter, the remaining 37% being plant material.  During the breeding season, the diet consists primarily of beetles, grasshoppers, and other arthropods, and fruits, nuts and seeds. More than 80% of the diet of brown thrasher from Illinois is made of animal matter, about 50% being beetles.  In Iowa, about 20% of the summer diet was found to consist of grasshoppers.  By the late summer, it begins to shift towards more of a herbivore diet, focusing on fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains, 60% of the food in Illinois being fruits and seeds.  By winter, the customary diet of the brown thrasher is fruit and acorns.
© HJ Ruiz – Avian101
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