Birds use tools at hand when gathering food

Benjamin Neumann-Chun and his mom, Jane Neumann, were in their St. Paul yard one day recently when they watched a robin do something most unusual. The bird was among a small flock patrolling the yard for edibles. This particular robin picked up a tuft of grass, placed it in a dog bowl of water, and waited. It would cock its head and peer at the tuft, then peck at it.

"We think it was flushing out insects from the tuft of grass by letting them float to the water surface," Jane Neumann told me. "We looked in the bowl afterwards and saw at least one small millipede floating in the water."

I've read about green herons baiting fish with bits of stick and leaf. The robin behavior is new to me. We often underestimate birds, and we shouldn't.

This green heron is fishing, using the shade of an outstretched wing to lure fish close for a quick grab. Shade also helps visibility into the water, although the duckweed salad covering this pond kills any chance of visibility. The temp this day was 95 degrees. The heron fished unsuccessfully for only two or three minutes before flying away.