. Economic value of the starling in the United States . d. 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 ofknowmg what they are capable of doing is manifest. Then, too, itmust be remembered that the food required for the young growmgbird is vastly more than that needed for its parent. During thefust few days of the nestlings life, especially, it consumes enorm
. Economic value of the starling in the United States . d. 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 ofknowmg what they are capable of doing is manifest. Then, too, itmust be remembered that the food required for the young growmgbird is vastly more than that needed for its parent. During thefust few days of the nestlings life, especially, it consumes enormousquantities of food, estimated in the case 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 868, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 5^1% (^1 I <l! IlUlllilihl = i S! p% \Nx\\\\\\\\\N\v\\\\\^iii a ^ t t Ilih X llkil i iliiii 1,11 111. lllilnll ^^^^^\^\\^\^^\\\s\\\\lll c7oay vt^/^//vt^ C7C?0^ ^7<ffl!<Z^Ojr/\ ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE STARLING. 39 Table II.—Monthly percentages of the various itons in the food of adult starlings {see fig- 2). ICind of food. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Month-ly av-erages. . . 5. . Ground beetles May beetles Other beetles Grasshoppers Caterpillars Mil
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