Table of Contents
What is the relationship between a blackbird and a worm?
Blackbirds find earthworms by either spotting their heads or tails from their burrow entrance, or by listening to their movements underground. Blackbirds have excellent hearing and can collect as many as two earthworms a minute in winter!
How do Blackbirds get worms?
Blackbirds find earthworms in one of two ways, either by spotting the tail or head end of the worm sticking out of a burrow entrance, or by sound. Blackbirds have remarkably acute hearing and are able to detect invertebrates moving under the surface of the ground.
Why do Blackbirds jump?
The Blackbird (Turdus merula) The common European Blackbird is one of the most intensely productive birds in the UK, with approximately 6,000,000 breeding pairs. Most Blackbirds, even from an early age, seem to hop along the ground at a rapid scurry, foraging for food among leaves, soil and undergrowth.
How do birds know where the worms are underground?
Vision: Birds, including robins, find worms mostly through sight. Birds have exceptional vision, and their keen eyes can spot the tiny end of a worm as it pokes out of the soil. They can also see small changes in soil and grass as worms move about just below the surface, movements that indicate where a worm is located.
When do blackbirds catch the most earthworms?
Recent studies have shown that Blackbirds, during the wintery months of December and January, can catch one to two earthworms per minute! With this is in mind, it is not unusual for Blackbirds to catch more than they can actually eat and these unfortunate worms are often left discarded on the surface.
Why do song thrushes and blackbirds eat worms?
Song thrushes, robins and blackbirds feed on the ground, and for them there simply isn’t anything as delicious as a worm. All have strong bills that enable them to pull struggling earthworms from the soil, and large eyes that help them to see in the early morning light, when earthworms are most active near the surface.
Can a blackbird swallow an earthworm whole?
Safe in the knowledge that earthworm distribution tends to be close knit, Blackbirds, even though they may have successfully caught a worm, will then search the surrounding area as if they had been unsuccessful. Though it is not unusual for Blackbirds to wash their food before eating it, adult Blackbirds are able to swallow most worms whole.
How does the anecic earthworm get its name?
Anecic earthworms ‘Anecic’ is greek for ‘out of the earth,’ because although these worms live below ground, they come up to soil level for their food. These worms are those that burrow vertically in the mineral layers of soil, creating permanent burrows as deep as six feet below surface level.