Feeding behaviors of Bark Probing and Bark Gleaning Birds

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Feeding behaviors of Bark Probing and Bark
Gleaning Birds

• By Zac Wert
• Steph Findley
• Jonathan Confer

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Introduction

• Bark-probing birds and bark-gleaning birds
  compete against each other for the same prey.
• All woodpeckers are insectivores
• Each has its own way of foraging which keeps them
  from out sourcing each other.

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Hypothesis

• The foraging behaviors and habitat selection will
  differ between species of bark probing and bark
  gleaning birds

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Foraging Characteristics

• Bark probing is looking and probing beneath the
  bark.
• Bark prying is when the bird is prying up pieces
  of bark to reach insects underneath.

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Foraging Characteristics

• Bark gleaning is when the bird eats from the
  surface of the tree only and does not forage
  under the bark.
• Bark pecking is when the bird chips away the bark
  to reach the xylem of the tree directly beneath.

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Locations where Observations were Taken

• Conrad Weiser State Forest
• ? located on Rt. 42 approx. 12
  miles south of Bloomsburg
• Mixed hardwood forest including black cherry
  (Prunus serotina), sugar maple (Acer saccharum),
  red maple (Acer rubrum), white oak (Quercus
  alba), American elm (Ulmus americana) and
  shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). There is also a
  large stand of Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga
  canadensis).

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Locations where Observations were Taken

• Lititz, Pennsylvania (Zacs backyard)
• This area had trees that included sugar maple
  (Acer saccharum), black locust (Robinia
  pseudoacacia), black walnut (Juglans nigra), red
  oak ( Quercus rubra).
• Feeding was primarily done on the sugar maple,
  black locust and black walnut.

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Locations where Observations were Taken

• White Hall, Pennsylvania (Jons Backyard)
• Near Montour Preserve
• Jons backyard has sugar maple (Acer saccharum),
  black walnut (Juglans nigra), red maple (Acer
  rubrum), and white pines (Pinus strobus)

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Observation Technique- Methods

• Birds were observed using binoculars
• The birds were observed for a short period of
  time-creating a snapshot image of the bird.
• Notes were taken on that snapshot.
• Observations were written down in waterproof
  notebooks
• Feeding height was estimated
• Tree height categorized into
• ? lower region 0ft to 10ft
• ? middle region 10ft to 20ft
• ? upper region 20ft to 30ft

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Observation Technique- Methods

• Tree size (diameter) categorized into
• Large Greater than 10 inches in diameter
• Medium 5-10 inches in diameter
• Small Less than 5 inches in diameter
• Branches Not feeding on the trunk of the tree
• Side of the tree the bird fed on
• Shaded
• Sunny
• All

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Hairy Woodpecker(Picoides villosus)
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Observed Hairy Woodpecker Feeding Behaviors

• Observed foraging for food at all three height
  elevations
• The hairy woodpeckers worked from the bottom of
  the tree and worked their way up the side of the
  tree at a quick pace.
• This would go on until they found a place that
  seemed ideal and they would stay there for a few
  minutes foraging under the bark.
• Observed foraging on specific trees not random
  ones
• The hairy woodpeckers were seen foraging on
  shagbark hickories and white oak.

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Observed Hairy Woodpecker Feeding Behaviors

• Observed foraging on shaded side of tree
• Observed that pecking was not just random fast
  motion, birds angled heads to get underneath the
  bark and chip away pieces.
• After the bird left the tree, we observed the
  insect damage. It was determined that there was
  extensive beetle damage, and larva were also
  found under the bark of one tree the hairy fed
  on.

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Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
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Observed Downy Woodpecker Feeding Behaviors

• Observed foraging in the lower two thirds of
  height elevations of trees
• ? 0ft to 30ft
• Similar feeding behaviors as a hairy woodpecker
  (not quite as aggressive when pecking).

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Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
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Observed Tufted Titmouse Feeding Behaviors

• Observed in the upper and middle regions of tree
  heights
• ? 20ft to 30ft
• ?10ft to 20ft
• The titmouse was also seen perched in the crotch
  of the tree on a branch, and flying at the trunk
  to chip away bark.
• The titmouse would then fly back to the perch and
  watch the area that was just pecked. They would
  then forage the area.

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Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
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Observed Brown Creeper Feeding Behaviors

• Observed in lower and middle regions of tree
  heights
• ? 0ft to 20ft
• The creeper started at 2ft and worked its way up
  the tree to about 20 ft.
• It would then move to a different tree.
• Visual feeding, would only feed on insects it
  could see and would never pick or dig at the
  tree.

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Northern Flicker (Coleptes auratus)
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Observed Northern Flicker Feeding Behaviors

• Observed in upper and middle regions of the
  feeding area
• ? 10 ft - 30 ft
• The flicker was observed starting at the base of
  a branch and working its way up in a spiral
  (foraging on all sides of the tree).
• In one observation it stopped at the holes
  already made on the tree to forage inside.

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White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
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Observed White-breasted Nuthatch Feeding Behaviors

• Observed feeding in all regions of the tree.
• The nuthatch was observed feeding head down and
  worked its way down the tree in a spiral.
• The nuthatch foraged by gleaning.

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Discussion on Observations

• It was observed that all regions of the tree were
  utilized when the birds were foraging alone.
• Pecking and gleaning were the main foraging types
  that was observed in all species of bark-probing
  birds.
• The food that the birds were foraging for was
  also universal.
• Beetles, ants and wood-boring insects
• An overwhelming majority of the birds were
  observed foraging on the shaded side of the tree.
  

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Discussion of Observations-What sets them apart?
Tufted titmouse, Hairy, N. Flicker, Nuthatch
20ft to 30ft
10ft to 20ft
Hairy, Nuthatch, Tufted titmouse, Downy, N.
Flicker
0ft to 10ft
Hairy, Brown creeper, Nuthatch, Downy
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What sets them apart?

• When there were more than one species of
  bark-probing birds foraging on the same tree,
  they each foraged in different areas.

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Observational example

• Ex. It was observed that a hairy woodpecker and a
  white-breasted nuthatch were foraging on the same
  tree.
• The nuthatch was seen foraging on the lower
  region of the tree while the hairy foraged on the
  middle region of the tree.
• Each bird forages by gleaning but the hairy has
  also been seen pecking, probing and prying.

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Conclusion

• It was observed that the foraging behaviors and
  habitat selection were different among the
  observed species.

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Thank You For Listening

• Any Questions?????????

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Corbin is a beast!!!