Holiday Shopping at Wild Birds Unlimited

We have pre-wrapped gifts for your to grab and go OR you can build your own hand chosen gift with food and we will gift wrap it for you!  We have loads of different feeders that you can build into your gift!  

Our gifts will bring JOY to your loved ones every time a bird visits all year long.

 

Fun Facts About Cardinals

• Contrary to popular belief, cardinals prefer foraging on the ground instead of being perched high on feeders. One study in North Carolina revealed that Cardinals spent 77% of their time foraging on the ground.
• During the breeding season, male Cardinals may sing 200 or more songs per hour in the early morning hours. Mated pairs will often sing duets together.
• The Northern Cardinal is actually one of seven species in the world with the name Cardinal. Although it is a bird that historically called the Southern U.S. its home, the modifier Northern is appropriate because all of the other six species are located in South America.
• The Cardinal name was derived from the Cardinals (the rank above Bishop) of the Roman Catholic Church who wear red robes and hats.
• Young Northern Cardinals have black bills rather than the orange-red of the adults. It gradually changes to the adult color three to four months after hatching.
• The red color of the Cardinal’s feathers is the result of pigments called carotenoids. The amount of the pigment ingested, and then deposited in the feathers as they molt, influences the quality and depth of their coloration.
• Because Cardinals are mainly ground feeders, deep snow may severely affect their ability to feed. Winter-feeding probably helps Cardinals in their northern range to survive deep snow conditions.
• While birdfeeding may have played a small role in the northward expansion of the Cardinal’s range during the past 60 years, the steady increase in global temperatures during the last half of the 20th century is probably a more important factor. Studies show that the northern edge of the Cardinal’s range is limited to areas with an average January temperature of at least 5 degrees Fahrenheit. As this temperature gradient has moved north, so have the Cardinals.
• Another important factor in the Cardinal’s northward expansion is the change in land-use practices in the Northeast. The loss of the dense forest to agriculture and suburban uses has greatly expanded the amount of suitable habitat for Cardinals.
• The ability for Cardinals to digest food varies with the temperature; studies have shown that digestion efficiency rates are 16% higher at 77 degrees than at 32 degrees. This suggests that Cardinals must consume substantially more food during cold weather, especially when it’s below freezing.
• The food habits of Cardinals change during the year. A study has revealed that from November through April more than 75% of their diet consists of vegetable material; the month of July drops to a low of 35% vegetable material, while the remaining months vary between 50 to 70%. The availability of insects (beetles, grasshoppers, crickets) is the prime reason for this fluctuation.
• The size of the Cardinal’s breeding territory varies with habitat quality and population density, but generally ranges from two to ten acres.
• The oldest recaptured banded Northern Cardinal was still alive at 15 years and 9 months old.
• The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

 

Winter Water

 

Winter isn't just cooler for us; it’s a real survival test for birds. With longer nights and colder temperatures, their internal “heaters” (metabolism) have to work overtime. While food is a must, water is just as critical. Birds need water to stay hydrated and to keep their feathers clean, essential for insulation and warmth.

A reliable source of open water can make your yard the go-to winter hangout, even for birds that don't normally visit feeders. If temperatures dip below freezing, you can use a bird bath heater in an existing plastic or stone bird bath, or try a bird bath with a built-in heater.

 

 Fun Facts About Juncos

• Dark-eyed Juncos are often called “Snowbirds,” possibly due to the fact that many people believe their return from their northern breeding grounds foretells the return of cold and snowy weather. Another possible source of the nickname may be the white belly plumage and slate-colored back of the junco which has been described as “leaden skies above, snow below.”
• Juncos spend the entire winter in flocks averaging in size from six to thirty or more birds.
  Dark-eyed Juncos tend to return to the same area each winter. Chances are that you have many of the same birds at your feeder this winter that you had in previous years.
• Visiting flocks of juncos will usually stay within an area of about 10 acres during their entire winter stay.
• To avoid the competition, many female juncos migrate earlier and go farther south than most of the males. In Michigan only 20% of the wintering juncos are females, whereas in Alabama 72% were found to be female.
• Male juncos tend to spend the winter farther north in order to shorten their spring migration and thus gain the advantage of arriving first at prime breeding territories.
• When migrating, female juncos move south before the males do, and adult females leave before the young females.
• Juncos migrate at night at very low altitudes and are susceptible to collisions with communication towers and other structures.
• Each winter flock of juncos has a dominance hierarchy with adult males at the top, then juvenile males, adult females and young females at the bottom. You can often observe individuals challenging the status of others with aggressive displays of lunges and tail flicking.
• While almost all Slate-colored Juncos in the Eastern portion of North America migrate, a population of juncos in the Appalachian Mountains is residential, remaining in the same area year-round.
• While the southward migration of Slate-colored Juncos is complete by early December, there is some evidence that indicates that harsh winter weather may spur some Juncos to move further south at anytime during the winter.
• Juncos have over 30 percent more feathers (by weight) in the winter than they do in summer.
• Juncos prefer to roost in evergreens at night but will also use tall grasses and brush piles. They return to the same roost location repeatedly and will share it with other flock mates, but they do not huddle together.
• The name junco is derived from the Latin word for the “rush” plant found in wetlands
• A study in New Hampshire on the foraging habitats of the Slate-colored Juncos found that they spent over 65% their time on the ground, 20% in shrubs, 16% in saplings or low trees. They were never observed in the canopy of large trees.
• Juncos, along with some other members of the sparrow family, practice an interesting foraging method called “riding.” They fly up to a seed cluster on the top of a grass stem and “ride” it to the ground where they pick off the seeds while standing on it.
• Juncos are known to burrow through snow in search of seeds that have been covered over.
• On an annual basis, a junco’s diet is made up of approximately three parts seeds to one part insects. During the nesting period, the percent of insects can increase up to 50 or 60 % of their diet.
• You can attract juncos to your yard by feeding a seed blend containing millet and hulled sunflower seeds.
• Male juncos return and reclaim the same breeding territory year after year.
• Juncos typically have two broods per year with the female building her nest on or near the ground and laying 3-5 eggs. The male does not incubate the eggs but does deliver food to the young and helps the female to defend against predators. The young leave the nest in 9-12 days.
• Studies have shown that Dark-eyed Junco’s nests are the victim of predators between 20 and 80% of the time. Rodents such as chipmunks and deer mice are probably the major predators on the eggs of juncos.
• The longevity records for juncos are: White-winged - 7.5 years; Slate-colored - 11 years, 4 months; Oregon - 9 years, 9 months; Gray-headed - 10 years, 8 months.

 

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