Earl and I have several bird feeders set up in our back yard, and we watch with great interest who frequents them. We don’t know one bird from the next, but we still like watching their habits. We also like making predictions about their behavior.
For instance, birds seem to eat all the time; so it’s no compliment in human language when someone says, “You eat like a bird.” From our bedroom window, we have come to believe they are gluttons.
They are also territorial and messy. If one bird is on a feeder, it attacks any other that approaches, even if the incoming bird is of the same species. It’s as if there is only room for one head bird at the feeder. And if the opposing birds are of a different species, then look out.
Actually, it reminds me of how humans act in the face of a challenge. Rather than meet and greet a newcomer, they attack under the assumption that someone new is someone bad.
We’ve also noticed that weight carries extra plumage, if you will. This means that the larger the bird the higher up in the pecking order. So when a tiny wren is feeding at one of our stations, it flies off when a larger, more imposing, grackle looms in.
This morning I saw a tiny black and orange bird chase a dull brown and grey bird away. I’m not sure whether it had to do with size or color or aggressiveness, but it was one more reminder that even birds, tiny as they are, have their hierarchy. In a way, it’s makes me sad.
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