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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

His and Hers

Bluebird pair at our mealworm feeder recently. Love the way they each have a mealworm. Actually, they were not feeding themselves, they took the mealworms to their fledglings. The family of bluebirds moved out of our yard a few days ago, and have not come for the mealworms.
This is understandable behavior, the adults moving the young to a new location. The fledglings are young, inexperienced and not flying as well as an adult bird. That makes them more vulnerable to predators like hawks. So their parents move them around, making them less like "sitting ducks" always in one spot, for a hawk to discover.


Trish said...

You've mentioned your mealworm feeder a lot and have already addressed some of the questions I had about it... save one:

Mealworms are the larvae of a certain beetle. (A) What species of beetle is it and (B) is it an invasive and/or pest species? (It leeks like the birds snap them up so fast this isn't really an issue, but it would be a great concern of mine.)

Anonymous said...

Great photo. Our bluebirds are working on their 3 nest this season. The first was abandoned but the second had a couple hatch. Hopefully the third time is the charm.

Lillian and Don Stokes said...

Chad and Brandy,
Hope your bluebirds are successful this time.

Mealworms are the larvae of the Tenebrior molitor beetle, a flour beetle. They are entirely eaten by the bluebirds and other birds. They are stored in the refrigetator, which prevents metamorphosis. You can read more here,