| Show some birds act as crop savers wren and nighthawk are particularly valuable in i eating insects Pr epand ared by b the th united stat stated e s deportment of agriculture birds in general are useful as well as beautiful without birds to keep the insect pests in check it would be more difficult to grow food they also eat many weed seeds eeds andio and so glye a better chance for the planted seeds the biological survey finds bluds however that some birds are not beneficial and this branch of the united states department part ment of agriculture studies the birds in order to be able to inform farmers and nd legislators as to their comparative merits eats bugs bug and weeds weed As a general rule the birds that eat largely of insect food for example the hie wren and the are particularly ticul arly valuable on the other hand band the gray grosbeak and the brilliantly colored painted bunting are valuable because they depend tor for a great part of their food on troublesome weeds such as the foxtail and pigeon grass seeds the barn owl like other owls commonly Is shot on sight but ought not t to 0 b be e for it Is one of the most berv serviceable birds to in destroying small rodents particularly the pocket gophers in the west for its size the house wren Is 0 one ne of the most effective bird enemies of the insects wrens usually rear two broods of young soung each year and the parents keep busy from morning to night bringing food for the hungry young foung the wrens diet Is a almost exclusively animal and a pair of wrens will account for an enormous bumber of insects in a season one harmful bird the boat tailed grackle to Is one of the few birds that do more damage than good it Is fond of corn in all stages from the first ears to the ripened grain destroys much rice and gets most of its animal food from the small marine ani animals inal along the seashore |
