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Re: R-e Vireo gathers honeysuckle bark
- To: Ginger Travis <gtravis@email.unc.edu>, <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
- Subject: Re: R-e Vireo gathers honeysuckle bark
- From: Helmut Mueller <hmuelle@earthlink.net>
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 11:23:28 -0400
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- In-reply-to: <3ECA4425.C74D6C9E@email.unc.edu>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
- User-agent: Microsoft Outlook Express Macintosh Edition - 5.01 (1630)
It used the tongue.
-- Helmut C Mueller
409 Moonridge Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Phone: 919-942-4937
Permanent email address: hmueller@email.unc.edu
> From: Ginger Travis <gtravis@email.unc.edu>
> Organization: UNC-CH
> Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 11:05:09 -0400
> To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
> Subject: R-e Vireo gathers honeysuckle bark
>
> This morning I looked out the window to see something new: a Red-eyed
> Vireo stripping outer bark from a native coral honeysuckle vine. As the
> bird pulled off each short section of bark, he or she then added the new
> bark strip to a growing collection held crosswise in the beak. This was
> a pretty neat trick, using the beak to strip bark while also holding a
> bundle. Not sure how the bird did that! The crosswise bark strips looked
> a lot like a big handlebar mustache. After getting a good beakful of
> nesting material, the vireo flew away and didn't return while I was
> watching.
>
> The shreddy outer bark of vines and some trees must be a very valuable
> resource. I have seen a female cardinal stripping bark from what I
> remember as either Japanese honeysuckle or trumpet creeper, and I think
> I remember that a Brown-headed Nuthatch who built in a bluebird box used
> bark strips that might have been red cedar (long time ago -- so not
> sure).
>
> Ginger Travis
> Chapel Hill, N.C.
>
>
>
>
>
> Ginger Travis
> Chapel Hill, N.C.