Hummingbird Mistakes Scarlet Yarn for a Flower
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On a recent trip to a favorite canyon in quest of hummingbirds, I discovered that someone had been picnicing there and had tied bits of scarlet yarn as danger signals on the poison oak bushes in the vicinity. I noted a female hummingbird, apparently the Black-chinned, repeatedly trying to extract honey from these bits of yarn. This was new to me, and at first I thought she might be hunting for building material. On close observation, however, I concluded that the bright color fooled the bird, and that she expected to find some new kind of nectar.
Eagle Rock, California
Creative Commons License
Recommended Citation
Chambers, W. Lee
(1916)
"Hummingbird Mistakes Scarlet Yarn for a Flower,"
Condor: Vol. 18
:
Iss.
5
, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/condor/vol18/iss5/13