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
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.
Your photos are always so lovely.
Thanks a lot, Ritva. π
gorgeous photography (as usual) and thanks for the background info
Thank you very much, Ivette. π
βοΈπ
Both are handsome birds! π
They are! Thanks, Donna. π
Beautiful birds, HJ, and interesting info about the thrasher’s diet.
Thanks so much, Jet. π
Lovely captures with always interesting info HJ π
Thank you, Ashley. π
Love the speckled plumage on the Thrasher. Beautiful images HJ.
Thanks so much, Chris. π
The head feathers on your starling are not like any that I have seen on ours.
It’s because the starling is a juvenile, got the lower part adult-plumage first. Thanks, Tom. π
Our juvenile starlings are much browner than that one.
Every time you share a picture of the Thrasher the eyes catch my attention!
π
It’s always hard to get a close-up photo of these small birds!
Thank you, Edward. π