Like the Postal Workers

Busy little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds gotta eat, right? Even in the rain they were out feeding at the feeder. The rain finally stopped today, although we had a brief shower this afternoon. Actually, animals tend to get a bit more active in rainy weather.

Since it has been raining a lot lately, I thought I would dispel a popular myth regarding Wild Turkeys and the rain. There are lots of people who think that: A) Turkeys are stupid, B) Turkeys become mesmerized by rain, and C) Animals always seek shelter in poor weather the way we do. A popular belief is that Turkey look up when it rains to "watch the rain" and end up drowning as a result. Some say the water trickles into their nose holes and drowns them and some say they stand with their beaks agape until they drown.

NOT TRUE!! Just to set the record straight, Turkeys have keen hearing and keen eyesight. They are not stupid, but they are as smart as animals on that end of the evolutionary scale can be. They are much more "street smart" than their Butterball cousins, and they do tend to run together in the same direction to escape danger. (Hence the expression, "flock together") Okay, so a friend of mine told me once that Turkeys come out in the open when it rains so they can better hear predators since sounds are lost in the rain in the woods. I am not sure of the validity of this and am feverishly looking for the answer. I do know that rain and flooding are not good for hatchlings, and that they will often perish in torrential downpours when they are still in the nest.

Finally, where as birds get a bad rap for their intelligence ("bird brain", "turkey"), they do have the ability to learn certain behaviors. For instance, Crows and Ravens have shown problem-solving ability in the wild and have even expressed higher learning behaviors such as using "tools". Green Herons have been observed dropping bread crumbs in water to attract fish to the surface. I think that's pretty impressive. It leads me to believe that my Bluebirds have learned that when I come out to the deck and whistle my weak Bluebird imitation, that they really do know I'm bringing mealworms. Sometimes I don't even see them in their usual spots, whistle and before I turn all the way around, they are on the feeder going to town! So maybe they come when I call them.
At least, I like to think so.........a birdnerd can dream, right?

(Sources: Elphick C.; Dunning Jr., J.B.; Sibley, D.A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, National Audubon Society. Knopf, NY

Eaton, Stephen W. 1992. Wild Turkey. In The Birds of North America, No. 22 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union.