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Your Bird-watching Questions Answered!

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How long does it take for a hummingbird to migrate and how far do they migrate?

A hummingbird's migration varies depending on the species. For this question, we'll choose the ruby-throated hummingbird, the most common hummingbird in North America.

The majority of ruby-throated hummingbirds spend the winter in Central America, between southern Mexico and Panama, although some birds may stay in Texas along the Gulf Coast. Most birds migrating to Central America will fly the 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, leaving at dusk, which takes between 18 and 22 hours.

In the spring, ruby-throated hummingbirds will migrate to North America and spend the summer anywhere between Texas and Florida to southern Canada. For a bird migrating from Panama to southern Canada that's more than 2,000 miles! As an average, it takes hummingbirds about two weeks to migrate.

A friend told me that you shouldn't feed a bird uncooked rice because it will expand in their stomachs and they will explode. Is this true?

Not true. If it were, there would be exploding bird stories all over the national press every wedding season. Think about it. Lots of birds feast in rice fields every year, irritating rice farmers to distraction. If eating rice caused birds to explode, most rice fields would look like a popcorn machine in the harvest season, with little puffs and explosions providing constant entertainment.

Quite a vision, and one that the press would never miss. And there is no difference between rice in fields and rice in bags from the supermarket. Birds have no trouble digesting rice, or any other "expanding" vegetable. I am all in favor of throwing birdseed at weddings, which is what believers of this myth urge as a solution. I like the symbolism of throwing birdseed. But rice is fine, too.

Where are some good places to go and see great birds?

All birds need four things: food, water, shelter, and a place to nest. Look for places that offer many of these. Check out different habitats in your neighborhood first. You may find types of habitat you hadn't noticed before.

Some common habitats that support birds are:

• Areas surrounding a stream, pond, or marsh.
• Along the roadside (but don't get too close!).
• Be sure to look up at power lines. Many birds use power lines as a perch or resting place.
• Hay meadows, pastures, or fields.
• Pine and hardwood forests or wooded areas.
• Finally, look up! Many birds (especially raptors) will soar right above your head.

Where do birds sleep, and how do they survive severe weather conditions?

Before falling asleep, most birds seek shelter from predators and weather. This is vital to their survival because a sleeping bird is more vulnerable to danger.

As you might imagine, each species has a technique of locating shelter as unique as its methods of finding food, and this varies based upon options available in the environment. Cavity nesters (bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, some woodpeckers and swallows, for example), tend to roost in enclosed areas such as tree hollows, bird houses, caves, or culverts. Sparrows, warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds frequently roost for the night amid thick vegetation. At all times, it's important that they remain concealed from owls, raccoons, snakes, and other predators.

During cold or rainy weather, most birds avoid direct wind by sheltering underneath protective overhangs found in an evergreen tree, vine tangle, thick brush, or deep grass.

How long does a bird live?

In very general terms, the larger a bird is, the longer its life expectancy. For small birds, such as migratory songbirds (warblers, vireos, etc.) the average life expectancy may be as little as two years. This short life expectancy is due to the many hazards birds face from birth: predators, disease, accidents, migration, starvation, habitat loss, and hunting, among others. Some individual birds have survived surprisingly long, including a cardinal (13.5 years), a black-capped chickadee (10 years), and an American goldfinch (7 years). One red-bellied woodpecker survived in the wild for 20.5 years! Captive birds, protected from the hazards of nature, have much longer life spans. Many waterfowl have survived in the wild for as long as 30 years, and seabirds, such as gulls and albatrosses, have longevity records that cover 30 to 40 years.

How long will the chickadee in our backyard persist in striking against our windows?

The behavior will last through the breeding season. In some individuals it may go on year-round, for years! It's a territorial reaction to seeing an intruder on his/her "turf." Covering the windows with screens will help, but when we had the same problem a few years ago, the bird just moved to another window. You may try screening, or plastic wrap on the outside surfaces of the window. Remove any perches from which the bird can see itself in the windows.