The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-09-02
THRUSHES.
Investigations Show That They Do a
Great Deal Of Good and Little
Harm to Farmers.

That thrushes-the group of birds IN
which are included robins and blue
birds-do great deal Of good and
very little harm to agriculture is the
conclusion reached by investigators
Of the department who have carefully
studied the food habits of these birds.
Altogether there are within the limits
of the United States IL species Of
thrushes, of which are commonly
known as robins and bluebirds. The
other 6 include the Townsend soil
taire, the wood, the very, the gray
cheek, the oliye-black, and the her.
nit thrushes.
The robins and bluebirds nest close
to houses, and even the shiest of the
other. species arc content with the Sc
clusion 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 1t 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 other hand, they
destroy such a vast number of insects
each year that it is probable that with
out them many crops would suffer Sc
rious damage.
OF all the thrushes, the robin Is
probably the best known. 1t has been
frequently accused of destroying fruits
and berries, but it has now been ascer-
tanned that this only occurs in regions
that are so thickiy 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 orchards
of California, but it is probable that
they are driven to the orchards
because of the scarcity of native Der
ries at these times. Where 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 robin, it does
not prey upon any cultivated product
or work any injury whatsoever to the
fruit grower. During the fruit season
in fact, fiye-sixths of its food consists
of insects. It seems. therefore, that
the common practice of encouraging
the bluebird to nest near houses by
placing convenient boxes in which 1t
may build its home is thoroughly JUS
titled.
A detailed. description Of the habits
of the robins and bluebirds is contain
ed in Department Bulletin No. III.
Bulletin No. ESQ. which has just been
published, takes up the habits of the
six other 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. Domestic fruits are eat
en- SO sparingIy by these species that
the damage done is quite negligible.
The bird known as the Townsend
solitaire is noted chiefly for its song,
which is said to be at times the finest
of any of the thrush family This,
thrush, however, confines itself almost
entirely to the mountains and gorges
Of the other hand. is distributed over
the eastern part of the United States,
and is frequenter of open groves
and brushy pastures. This thrush also
is noted for it's sweet song, especially
in the early evening. 1t does not nest
in the gardens or orchards. however,
and is seldom seen about farm build
ings, SO that many people who are ia.
miliar with its song would not know
the bird by sight. The wood thrush
consumes a number of very harmful
insects, such as the Colorado potato
beetle and white grubs. The fruit
which it eats it usually picks up from
the ground instead of taking fresh
from the tree. There is therefore no
reason why the wood thrush should
not be rigidly protected.
THE FARM wooDLoT PROBLEM.