use of sight or hearing or both?
Posted by Janice Jenkins on May 2, 2007
Q: Someone told me that robins use their eyesight to catch insects like worms but I have watched them fast walk to a spot, tilt their heads to one side, use their bills to push aside some leaves then pull out a worm. Are they using a combination of sight and hearing? Were they just lucky that after moving aside the leaves they spotted the worm?
thanks!
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Oregon
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: This is one of those age-old questions that people speculated about for a long time until someone took the time to study the feeding behavior of American Robins. Researchers looked very carefully and methodically at these birds and were able to determine that they do indeed see, not hear, their prey. I think what you described is simply that American Robins know "where" it's most likely that they'll find food. I'm sure if you watch a bird over time, you'll see them flip leaves in many locations without the reward of food. We did a unit on this very issue so check out our unit at: www.enaturalist.org
Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( May 2, 2007)