Yesterday, it was butterflies, today, it is birds. I enjoy watching birds. The photo above is of a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). It was taken in our backyard a few years back.
Wrens are insectivores -- they eat bugs. They are beneficial to us because of that fact. They are common throughout the eastern part of Texas and across the southeastern United States. Notice the long beak with the slight curve; it is built specially for taking it's prey.
Birds that feed primarily on seeds usually have a short, thick beak that is better able to crack open the hard kernels. They are beneficial too because they spread seeds -- those that require passage through the alimentary canal which scarifies them and breaks the outer layer so they can germinate and grow. But, seed-eating (granivory) birds also are often seen as a nuisance. Starlings are a prime example in that they are often seen in huge flocks that land in fields of ripening grain and take a share of the harvest. They will also raid feed troughs to eat the grains that are part of many livestock feeds and leave behind their feces which may contain harmful pathogens that infect the animals. One of those diseases is coccidiosis which can cause internal hemorrhaging and death.
In agriculture we have a love/hate relationship with birds. The methods used to control some of the nuisance species are detrimental to the beneficial species.
A couple of days ago when I wrote about The IoT and the IoN, I mentioned chemical signals being passed through the mycellium of fungi. Yesterday, when talking about butterflies, I mentioned chemicals being passed into the butterfly from the flowers on which it fed. The anti-GMO folks won't like this approach, but perhaps there is a way to add a chemical signal to feed grains that would make them repellent to the granivory birds which can be so destructive. It might alleviate the need for chemical controls. Just thinking....
No comments:
Post a Comment