Pen-Elayne on the Web

I've been watching the robins peck around our yard the past few days, and I wondered - how do robins find worms and grubs? I thought it might be by sound or vibration. Ever notice how robins jump, while other birds will walk, such as starlings will walk, through a lawn? I suspected that perhaps the vibration from jumping caused grubs and worms to recoil or move in some way - and maybe it does - and because of that, the robin sensed the movement by the sound or vibration. Apparently, that isn't the case. More proof as to why I'm not a scientist...

How Do Robins Find Worms?

Robins spend much of their lives searching for one of their favorite foods, earthworms. Most scientists now conclude that they find these worms by vision, thanks to experiments by an ornithologist named Frank Heppner.

So what little item about the natural world that surrounds us has caught your curiousity lately?