. Economic value of the starling in the United States . as the cutting down of the available food of native birds, as theyseldom resort to such food. FOOD OF NESTLINGS. From an economic standpoint, the food habits of nestling passerinebirds are, as a rule, more commendable than those of the adults, andwhen one considers that during the nestling period the young birds ofmany species outnumber the parents two to one, the importance ofknowing what they are capable of doing is manifest. Then, too, itmust be remembered that the food required for the young growingbird is vastly more than that needed
. Economic value of the starling in the United States . as the cutting down of the available food of native birds, as theyseldom resort to such food. FOOD OF NESTLINGS. From an economic standpoint, the food habits of nestling passerinebirds are, as a rule, more commendable than those of the adults, andwhen one considers that during the nestling period the young birds ofmany species outnumber the parents two to one, the importance ofknowing what they are capable of doing is manifest. Then, too, itmust be remembered that the food required for the young growingbird is vastly more than that needed for its parent. During thefirst few days of the nestlings life, especially, it consumes enormousquantities of food, estimated in the cage of some species to be on eachday a mass equal to its own weight. This demand for food, much ofwhich consists of injurious insects, is greatest during May, June, andJuly, a time when growing crops are benefited most by a suppressionof their insect enemies. 38 BULLETIN U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. xx\\ ^ v^^V^wv;. C70CL/ 7t?V*///Vt? C700^ J7&K/JOJ/\ ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE STARLING. 39 Table II.—Monthly percentages of the various items in the food of adult starlings (see fig- 2). Month- Kind of food. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. ly av-erages. Weevils Ground beetles May beetles Other beetles Grasshoppers Caterpillars Millipeds Miscellaneous ani- mal matter l Garbage (animal)-.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1921
