The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1915-10-21
GROUP OF BIRDS
THAT DO GREAT
DEAL OF GOOD
Friends of Farmers and Harm
Them But Little
DESTROY MANY INSECTS
Investigations Made by Govern
ment Officials-Eleven Species
of Thrushes Within the United
States-Robin Most Common

That thrushes-the group OF
birds in which are included robins
and bluebirds-do a great deal OF
good and very little harm to agri.
culture is the conclusion reached
by investigators of the depart,
ment who have carefully studied
the food habits of these birds. Al
together there are within the linn
it's of the United States IL species
of thrushes, 5 of which are COM
monty known as robins and blue
birds. Ehe other 6 include the
Townsend solitaire, the wood, the
veery, the gray cheek, the olive
back, and the hermit thrushes.
The robins and bluebirds nest
close to houses, and even the shi-
est of the other species are con-
tent with the seclusion of an acre
or two of woodland or swamp. For
this reason the thrushes are among
the best known and most carefully
protected of native American
birds, and at times their numbers
become so great that it is feared
they will do much harm to crops
and fruit. The recent investiga-
tions of the department, however,
show that there is very little
ground for this fear. On the 9TH
er hand, they destroy such a vast
number of insects each year that
it is probable that without them
many crops wot1d suffer serious
damage.
Of all the thrushes, the robin is
probably the best known. 1t has
been frequently accused of de-
stroying fruits and berries, but it
has now been ascertained that this
only occurs in regions that are so
thickly settled that there is no
wild fruit upon which the robin
may subsist. In some years the
bird is a great pest in the olive or
chards of California, but 1t is pro-
bable that they are driven to the
orchards because of the scarcity
of native berries at these times.
Where a wild fruit is available,
the birds seem to prefer this to the
cultivated varieties.
Like the robin, the bluebird is
very domestic, but unlike the rob-
in, it does not prey upon any cul-
tivatcd product or work any in
jury whatsoever to the fruit grow
er. During the fruit season in
fact five-sixths of its food con-
sists of insects. 1t seems, there
fore, that the common practice of
encouraging the bluebird to nest
near houses by placing convenient
boxes in which it may build its
home is thoroughly justified.
A detailed description of the
habits of the robins and bluebirds
is contained in Department Bulle-
tin No. I'll. Bulletin No. $50,
which has just been published,
takes up the habits Of the six 9TH
er species of the thrush group
which are not quite so well known.
These birds also feed principally
on insects and fruit, but great
portion of the fruit which they
consume is wild berries. Domes-
tic fruits are eaten so sparingly
by these species that the damage
done is quite negligible.
The bird known as the Town
send solitaire is noted chiefly for
its song, which is said to be at
times the finest of any of the
thrush family. This thrush, how
ever, confines itself almost entire
ly to the mountains and gorges of
the far West. The wood thrush,