Adorable White Mother Bird Trying To Find Sub Merged Worms For Her Babies

Birds run very intently across the lawn, cocking their heads, pausing frequently and eventually pulling long earthworms right out of the soil. But how do robins find worms and strike them so precisely, when the birds aren't digging around constantly?

Worms are the ideal food for omnivorous birds such as robins and other thrushes. While birds will eat just about any type of worm they can catch, earthworms and insect larvae are the most common worms they eat. An American robin, in fact, may eat up to 14 feet of earthworms in a single day, and worms make up 15-20 percent of its summer diet.

While the exact nutritional composition of different worms will vary, they are all generally high in protein. This is essential for birds to develop strong muscles and feathers, and is especially critical for growing chicks. Worms are also good sources of fat for energy, as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Birds use all their senses for successful worm-finding. It is likely that individual birds rely more heavily on different senses depending on their needs and abilities as well as the worm-hunting conditions. Several research studies have been conducted with different bird species to determine their ability to locate worms with different sensory detection methods. The most important senses for finding worms .