the encyclopedia of birds b

[...]... the eider dives beneath the waves to grab shellfish in its powerful bill or, as the tide ebbs, it dabbles for them in the shallows The eider cracks open large shellfish with its bill, but swallows small ones whole The gizzard (part of the stomach) grinds down the shells of the food that it swallows whole, releasing the soft flesh inside Shellfish form the basis of the eider’s diet, but it also occasionally... speckled egg on bare rock on a cliff ledge (the egg’s pear shape helps keep it from rolling off the cliff ’s edge) Both parents take turns incubating the egg for about 33 days by holding it between their feet; they turn to face the cliff side for added protection from the wind .The hatchling resembles a gray ball of wool; the feathers become waterproof within about three weeks, about the time that the chick... birds use their large, webbed feet to propel down to the seabed It’s believed that the common eider inspired the first bird sanctuary St Cuthbert, a 7th-century hermit on the Farne Islands off the east coast of northern England, protected them In fact, the Farne Islands are still a bird sanctuary today • In the few hours between hatching and reaching the sea, half of a brood may be snatched by predators,... shallow banks, marine coasts and bays The guillemot can generally be found in boreal (northern) waters with some birds in the cool, subtropical zone Depending on the direction of fish schools, the guillemot winters offshore at sea within the breeding range In Newfoundland and Norway, the bird is relatively sedentary; in Great Britain and Iceland, birds move toward the North Sea ᮤ TIGHT FIT Rows of guillemots... obliged to The nighthawk’s booming allow bounty to be paid on call has been compared to the sound made by blowing in them simply because they were called hawks the mouth of a soda bottle Rooftop nests may fail in hot weather when eggs get stuck in sun-warmed tar • 230 Common Nighthawk 1 Take off… As the sun falls below the horizon, the nighthawk flies up from its daytime resting place 2 Zigzag… The nighthawk... it does so on the ground, in the water and in the trees It forages in the company of many birds in trees and bushes, looking for a variety of foods, including nuts, fruit, the eggs of small birds and even young birds .The common grackle has also been known to eat salamanders, acorns, chestnuts, ᮡ WET WADER weeds, seeds and grain The grackle carefully probes on the A grackle wades into the ground using... itself less buoyant, then plunges below the surface in pursuit 4 Snap 3 Paddle… Taking up the the chase, the loon paddles rapidly with its feet .The wings are sometimes opened to help with steering Once in range of its quarry, the loon lunges forward, snapping at a fish to catch it sideways between the mandibles of its bill ? • The common loon is called the “loon,” because of the “lunatic” sounds of its... the shelter of its woodland habitat BREEDING The common grackle is polygamous; each male often takes on multiple partners throughout the breeding season Just before this season begins in the early spring, the grackle forms very large, noisy roosts, often with thousands of other birds In a characteristic display performed during the mating ritual, the male lifts his head and drops his wings before breaking... northern Canada and northeastern U.S to Greenland, Great Britain, Scandinavia and eastern Siberia; birds in the High Arctic and Baltic areas migrate south in winter Common Eider 209 L IFECYCLE BEHAVIOR The common eider spends most of its time in the cold, storm-tossed waters of northern seas, buoyantly bobbing among rough wave crests or diving below the surface to feed Common eiders gather in large flocks... remarkable bright-orange “shield” eider duck eider duck outlined in black at the base of the red bill The common eider lacks the king eider’s colorful head and has a white back, making it appear cleaner cut than the king eider After breeding, both molt into a dark, drab “eclipse” plumage, looking quite different from their courtship dress 212 Common Eider RELATED SPECIES The common •member of theeider . its powerful bill or, as the tide ebbs, it dabbles for them in the shallows. The eider cracks open large shellfish with its bill, but swallows small ones whole. The gizzard (part of the stomach). water and in the trees. It forages in the company of many birds in trees and bushes, looking for a variety of foods, including nuts, fruit, the eggs of small birds and even young birds .The common. food will be plentiful for the chicks. During the rain, many of the birds will sit with their tails and wings outstretched to bathe. Males then make displays with their wings, and the females

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