May 2023 - 42

It can be difficult for young raptors such as ferruginous hawks to get the hang of feeding on their own without the aid of the parents. (Photo by Wes Uncapher)
LEARNING ON THE FLY
Bears aren't the only animals with the ability
to learn. Birds have a variety of diets and
learning experiences. Consider your local bird
feeder and bird bath. Birds know they need
food and water, but they can't instinctively
know which backyards have a meal for them,
so they must learn this information by exploring
and following other birds. Birds have great
ability to smell and seek out their feed, so it
might be unfair to place this into teachable
versus unteachable perimeters. Although once
a feeder or bird bath is established and discovered,
birds quickly learn to expect regular
feed or water.
For more solitary birds such as raptors,
fledglings may not have it so easy. Apex
predators of the sky don't leave their nest
one morning and by noon are kings of their
realm. Many are clumsy and uncomfortable
in flight at first and stay in the brush where
they crashed from their first flight. Sometimes
they stay in that same brush for a few days
and beg their parents to feed them. Parents
may feed them, but they're just as likely to
wait for the fledgling to get hungry enough
to go find its own food. This king of the sky
often starts with beetles and grasshoppers as
42 | May 2023
it builds its predatory skills to go after slightly
larger prey. In this scenario, perhaps instinct
is a fancy word for hunger.
For bird migration there are different methods
at play. Zach Wallace, nongame bird biologist
for Game and Fish, said some birds are
known to learn their migratory routes, while
others have innate navigational abilities, and
most species likely use a mix of the two. The
mechanism behind the homing ability of
birds is a subject of active scientific debate,
with some evidence for different methods.
Birds may cue into magnetic fields, smell, or
the position of the sun, stars and landmarks.
Additionally, there is evidence that individual
birds get better at migrating with experience,
resulting in faster and more direct routes for
older individuals.
For instance, red-winged blackbirds and
other flocking birds form large groups that can
help guide young birds in their first migration.
Older birds know when it is time to travel and
feeding spots along the way. If a young bird
sticks to the flock, it stands a good chance of
successfully completing the migration. Other
birds, like golden eagles, may migrate alone
or in loose groups, using a mix of instinct
and learned knowledge to find their routes.

May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023

May 2023 - 1
May 2023 - 2
May 2023 - 3
May 2023 - 4
May 2023 - 5
May 2023 - 6
May 2023 - 7
May 2023 - 8
May 2023 - 9
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May 2023 - 12
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May 2023 - 42
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May 2023 - 46
May 2023 - 47
May 2023 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
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