Wednesday 10 April 2013

Guess who's coming to dinner?

A trio of unlikely feeding companions...

We don't usually see these guys eating together ...
But on this occasion they seemed quite happy in each others company..
"Tuck in lads! Take all the ants you want..."

NB. The GreenWoodpecker is reputed to eat around 2000 ants a day...  (We could do with a few dozen of them then!)
The Jays diet consists of acorns, nuts, seeds and invertebrates but they will also take the nestlings of other birds and small mammals. 
"Anting" behaviour has been seen in Jays. The bird spreads its tail and wings over the nest and allows ants to swarm over its body. The formic acid given off by the ants kills parasites.

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