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Field
Guide IDs: BREEDING:
Open, riparian,
burned, or cutover woodlands, other open country
with scattered trees. 2? broods. DISPLAYS:
Courting male sings
and flutters in front of female, wings half open,
tail spread, then perches beside and preens female,
and may offer food. NEST:
Often in
woodpecker-excavated cavity; loose cup of grass,
weed stems, pine needles, twigs, occ with hair or
feathers. EGGS:
Pale blue to
bluish-white, occ white, unmarked. 0.8" (21
mm). DIET:
Includes
earthworms, snails, other invertebrates; esp
berries. Young presumably fed primarily insects.
Hawking often from low perch catching insects near
ground. CONSERVATION:
Winters mostly
within U.S. Blue List 1972, 1978-81, Special
Concern 1982, Local Concern 1986; decline continues
in some areas. Felling dead trees and removing dead
branches reduces nest holes and increases
competition with other cavity-nesting species (esp
House Sparrows and European Starlings). Will use
nest boxes. Rare cowbird host. NOTES:
Often successfully
defend nest hole against swallows, House Wrens, and
House Sparrows. Fairly common
resident at the Dish. Uncommon elsewhere on campus,
occurring primarily in habitats having oaks
interspersed with open grassland or fields. Nests
in natural cavities, woodpecker holes, and
artificial nest boxes. ESSAYS: European
Starlings;
Blue
List;
Helping
to Conserve Birds-Local
Level;
Great
Plains Hybrids;
Avian
Invaders REFERENCES:
Bent,
1949. |
