BIRDS AT SCHOOL

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1593, 8 January 1925, Page 2

BIRDS AT SCHOOL

LEARNING TO CAPTURE THEIR FOOD.. If children learned their lessons as quickly as young birds a few weeks would suffice for their tuition, declares Oliver G. Pike, F.Z.S., in the 'Daily Mail. Directly birds leave their nests there are many lessons to be learned. There are no prizes given for proficiency, but the brilliant ones survive, while the dunces die. I have often watched the scholars in these bird schools. One morning I saw a mother kestrel and her five young on the highest branch of a tall dead tree. The youngsters were having a first lesson in flight. The old kestrel flew out facing the wind, then made a wild half-circle to the opposite side of the tree, sailed against the wind with outspread wings,' and settled on the branch she had left. One of the young made a similar attempt and succeeded tolerably well until, in trying to settle, it missed the perch and had to circle round again as if to gaiix confidence. Another young bird tried to imitate its daring comrade but both •missed their foothold time after time, until their mother flew by their side and showed them how easy it was when done properly. I watched this interesting performance for the besr part of a morning, and by the afternoon the youngsters were so perfect that further tuition was unnecessary. Do young birds have lessons in singing f, is a question often asked me. Some of our best songsters, such as the nightingale, practically cease their song as soon as the young leave their shells. That is, they do not sing loudly, but if we take the trouble to hide near a nest of young we find that the song is really continued, but in a very subdued manner.

The longest lesson .of all which young birds have to learn is the finding of their food. The Peregine falcon, sparrow-hawk, and others which have to chase their prey before it is captured have more failures than successes during the first few weeks after leaving the nest. But each failure makes these bird scholars more proficient, for they learn quickly by experience. But the most important lesson that young birds have to learn is to discriminate between friends and foes. Those which are slow in learning pay the penalty and soon fall a prey to the dozens of other wild creatures on the look-out for a meal.