Friday, April 09, 2010

Don't call them birdbrains!






On our nature hike the other day, the Eagle-eyed scientist and I paused to marvel at a pair of Black-Capped Chickadees who took turns pecking at a stash of seeds located in the top crevices of a fencepost. This was no random event. Black-Capped Chickadees have incredible spatial memories, aided by the literal growth of their brains which occurs each fall as they create those caches of food.