Animal of the Month
This story appears as an on-going series in the "Gilroy Dispatch", "Morgan Hill Times" and "Hollister Freelance".
Do Not Feed the Birds
January, 2013
By Colleen Grzan
Do Not Feed the Birds
January, 2013
By Colleen Grzan
Yellow Billed Magpie
Do Not Feed the Birds...hamburger, spaghetti, cream of wheat, filet mignon, mashed potatoes.
These are some of the foods that people have told us they fed to wild birds that they "rescued". Spaghetti because it "looks like a worm", cream of wheat because that's what human babies eat, raw hamburger fed to orphaned owlets (as if mama owl would be out catching and grinding up a cow). Some people seem to think a human's holiday dinner is fine for the birds, too-they've been fed chicken, mashed potatoes (because it was "soft food"), bread and milk (because the birds "needed calcium"), and vegetables.
It's vitally important to the health of the animal to know not only the specific diets of each species, but also their feeding behavior and the dietary changes required as the bird matures. Swallows eat insects "on the wing", young raptors must learn how to hunt rodents, and herons eat live fish. Some eat particular kinds of seeds, nuts, berries & fruit; some birds are strictly carnivorous; some are omnivorous, i.e., the corvids-magpies, crows, ravens, and jays, eat "everything" but still need a good quality, natural diet, not scraps from the dinner table.This yellow-billed magpie is an example of the importance of bringing orphaned wild animals to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. It was a fledgling when it was found last year in South County and the finders kept it for two weeks before bringing it to the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center. It was in weak condition when it arrived due to being fed an improper diet. It may have survived for as long as it did because magpies eat a wide range of foods, including insects, fruit, nuts, and carrion. So whatever it was being fed originally must have been adequate, though not necessarily nutritious. At WERC, it was immediately put on an appropriate and natural diet, which included small rodents supplemented with vitamins. Within one month, it had recovered its health and its feather condition was fabulous. Because magpies form a communal society, it was released near the location where it had been found.
If I had my druthers, the yellow-billed magpie would be California's state bird because it is the only species of bird that is restricted to our state, found nowhere else in the world. It is non-migratory and limited to central California. The 19" long bird has a glossy black, green-iridescent head, wings, and long tail and sports bold white wing patches and white belly. It is similar to the more wide-spread black-billed magpie, which ranges from southern Alaska to most of central and western Canada and United States.
The yellow-billed magpie thrives in oak woodlands, open areas, grasslands, along streams, pasture, fields, and orchards. The highly intelligent birds are sociable, gregarious, and tolerant of humans. Birders from around the world come to our area to add this gorgeous and fascinating bird to their life-lists. If you're hosting out-of-state guests who love birding, take them for a rare treat to watch for local groups of the magpies-called a "tiding", "charm", "tittering", or "tribe" and listen for their noisy kwah-kwah-kwah call. You'll see the birds running, hopping, and walking on the ground looking for grasshoppers, earthworms, fruit, acorns, eggs (which they steal from the nests of other birds), in addition to the aforementioned fruit, nuts, and carrion. They store (cache) surplus food in tree hollows and holes that they.ve dug in ground.
Also look for their unusual homes: Yellow-billed magpies make a very large nest, shaped like a domed bowl, out of sticks and mud, and lined with hair, grass, and bark. The nests are built high in trees, especially valley and coast live oaks, both of which, just like the yellow-billed magpie, are endemic to California.In the 19th century, magpies were close to being killed off because they were erroneously thought to be a threat to crops and livestock. In recent years, habitat loss and the use of pesticides to kill ground squirrels has caused the yellow-billed magpie population to decline. Magpies are also extremely susceptible to the West Nile virus because they tend to roost near water, thus exposing them to mosquitoes. Between 2004 and 2006 it's estimated that 50% of all yellow-billed magpies died of the virus.
You can help the populations of magpies and other wild birds flourish. If you find a wild animal that you believe is injured or orphaned, call your nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator asap for advice. Don't try feeding it on your own-it's illegal to care for native wildlife without permits. The rehabilitator knows the proper diet and method of feeding each species.
These are some of the foods that people have told us they fed to wild birds that they "rescued". Spaghetti because it "looks like a worm", cream of wheat because that's what human babies eat, raw hamburger fed to orphaned owlets (as if mama owl would be out catching and grinding up a cow). Some people seem to think a human's holiday dinner is fine for the birds, too-they've been fed chicken, mashed potatoes (because it was "soft food"), bread and milk (because the birds "needed calcium"), and vegetables.
It's vitally important to the health of the animal to know not only the specific diets of each species, but also their feeding behavior and the dietary changes required as the bird matures. Swallows eat insects "on the wing", young raptors must learn how to hunt rodents, and herons eat live fish. Some eat particular kinds of seeds, nuts, berries & fruit; some birds are strictly carnivorous; some are omnivorous, i.e., the corvids-magpies, crows, ravens, and jays, eat "everything" but still need a good quality, natural diet, not scraps from the dinner table.This yellow-billed magpie is an example of the importance of bringing orphaned wild animals to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. It was a fledgling when it was found last year in South County and the finders kept it for two weeks before bringing it to the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center. It was in weak condition when it arrived due to being fed an improper diet. It may have survived for as long as it did because magpies eat a wide range of foods, including insects, fruit, nuts, and carrion. So whatever it was being fed originally must have been adequate, though not necessarily nutritious. At WERC, it was immediately put on an appropriate and natural diet, which included small rodents supplemented with vitamins. Within one month, it had recovered its health and its feather condition was fabulous. Because magpies form a communal society, it was released near the location where it had been found.
If I had my druthers, the yellow-billed magpie would be California's state bird because it is the only species of bird that is restricted to our state, found nowhere else in the world. It is non-migratory and limited to central California. The 19" long bird has a glossy black, green-iridescent head, wings, and long tail and sports bold white wing patches and white belly. It is similar to the more wide-spread black-billed magpie, which ranges from southern Alaska to most of central and western Canada and United States.
The yellow-billed magpie thrives in oak woodlands, open areas, grasslands, along streams, pasture, fields, and orchards. The highly intelligent birds are sociable, gregarious, and tolerant of humans. Birders from around the world come to our area to add this gorgeous and fascinating bird to their life-lists. If you're hosting out-of-state guests who love birding, take them for a rare treat to watch for local groups of the magpies-called a "tiding", "charm", "tittering", or "tribe" and listen for their noisy kwah-kwah-kwah call. You'll see the birds running, hopping, and walking on the ground looking for grasshoppers, earthworms, fruit, acorns, eggs (which they steal from the nests of other birds), in addition to the aforementioned fruit, nuts, and carrion. They store (cache) surplus food in tree hollows and holes that they.ve dug in ground.
Also look for their unusual homes: Yellow-billed magpies make a very large nest, shaped like a domed bowl, out of sticks and mud, and lined with hair, grass, and bark. The nests are built high in trees, especially valley and coast live oaks, both of which, just like the yellow-billed magpie, are endemic to California.In the 19th century, magpies were close to being killed off because they were erroneously thought to be a threat to crops and livestock. In recent years, habitat loss and the use of pesticides to kill ground squirrels has caused the yellow-billed magpie population to decline. Magpies are also extremely susceptible to the West Nile virus because they tend to roost near water, thus exposing them to mosquitoes. Between 2004 and 2006 it's estimated that 50% of all yellow-billed magpies died of the virus.
You can help the populations of magpies and other wild birds flourish. If you find a wild animal that you believe is injured or orphaned, call your nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator asap for advice. Don't try feeding it on your own-it's illegal to care for native wildlife without permits. The rehabilitator knows the proper diet and method of feeding each species.
Colleen Grzan
WERC, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, provides the community with rehabilitation services for orphaned, injured and sick native wildlife. It is supported solely by donations from businesses and the public.
WERC, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, provides the community with rehabilitation services for orphaned, injured and sick native wildlife. It is supported solely by donations from businesses and the public.