Connecticut

NATURE Common Core State Standard CCSS. ELA-Literacy. R1.3.1-3.10/4.1-4.10/5.1-5.10

Eating On The Fly Article written by Michelle Eckman,

Connecticut Audubon Society
Imagine not having to stop what you are doing to have a meal; that you could just eat as you walk through your day. Think of the time that you would save for so many other
activities! In fact, there are a number of animals that do just that – but instead of eating as they walk, they eat insects as they fly!

Ecologists, the scientists that study how living organisms interact with each other and their environment, call these animals aerial insectivores. Aerial refers to being in the air.
An insectivore is an animal that eats mainly insects. If you break the word down into parts, insects are animals with 6 legs and 3 body segments and the root “vore” comes from
the Latin term “vorare” which means “to devour”.

Aerial insectivores include birds and flying mammals such as bats. There are various categories of these aerial insectivores based on their style of hunting and eating. These
animals have evolved to focus on these various hunting strategies so that they compete less with other species looking for insects in the air. The two main strategies, their names
include and some examples of animals that use that strategy are listed below:

• Sallying - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines sallying as ‘to rush out or leap forth suddenly’. Salliers leave their perch to catch an insect in
midair and return to their perch to consume the insect. Commonly seen birds in Connecticut that use this strategy include Eastern Phoebes, other flycatchers, and Whip-Poor-Wills.

• Coursing – coursing means to forage while in flight without perching. These animals literally eat as they fly. Birds such as swallows and Purple Martins utilize this strategy, as
do bats.

All of the world’s organisms play an essential role in their ecosystems, aerial insectivores are no different. The most noticeable aerial insectivores are birds, which are very sensitive
to changes in their environment; this makes them an important indicator of ecosystem health. Aerial insectivores eat flying insects, many of which annoy us humans. Their diet in-
cludes mosquitoes, black flies, and agricultural pests. However, ecologists have found that the populations of aerial insectivores, including bats, are declining at a rapid rate. Given
how important these animals are to controlling insect populations, this is a serious issue.

Ecologists are working hard to determine why aerial insectivores are disappearing. There are many potential factors which include habitat loss, use of toxic chemical to kill pests
and insects (called pesticides and insecticides), and acid rain. It is likely not one factor but a combination of all of these. The good news here is that each of us can make decisions
that can help aerial insectivores.

What you decide to eat and what you decide to do during your daily life has an impact – why not make it a positive one? For example, instead
of using chemicals to fertilize (feed) your plants at home, you can easily make and use your own fertilizer (compost) (see the recipe in the
Make Your Own Fertilizer section). Rather than spray harmful pesticides in your yard that could harm insects that are food for aerial insectivors,
focus on planting native plants in your yard – they already grow in our area so they have natural defenses to pests in Connecticut. You could
try to find out where some of your food comes from and how it may have been raised. Where did the cow live that is part of your hamburger?
Did it come from a big or a small farm? Small farms minimize habitat loss that is important for aerial insectivores. Could you get some of these
foods from a local farmer – even an organic farmer that doesn’t use pesticides and herbicides? Could you grow any of your own food at home,
such as lettuce and tomatoes? Maybe your school could have a garden that could provide fresh fruits and vegetables for your cafeteria!

Every time you and your family make a choice to buy food that is grown in a way that helps soil or grow to even your own food, you are
helping aerial insectivores. And every little bit you do adds up over time to make a big difference for you, your family, and all of the other
animals and plants that depend upon healthy ecosystems.

VOCABULARY – using a dictionary, look up all of the italicized words for their meanings.

Did You Know Make your Own

Brown bats eats up to 8 pounds of insects every
year. This may not sound like a lot, but if you add
up the population of brown bats in the U.S. and
account for how many insects they eat, this would
add up to about $22.8 billion dollars in insect
control! We need aerial insectivores like bats and
birds to help control our insect populations!
Help
Aerial
Insectivores: Fertilizer
A wonderful way to take care of the planet while reducing how much trash you generate at home AND making your own homemade humus! Here
is all you need:
• A large, lidded container if you are using it indoors. They sell these in most hardware stores.
• A small enclosure made of scrap wood or fencing if you are using outdoors.
• For inside composting, you’ll need some native worms. You can actually order these online very easily!
• For outside composting, the decomposers will come on their own
• In dry weather, outside compost bins will need occasional watering to keep the decomposers alive
Composting results in a natural fertilizer and insecticide, free of the usual harmful ingredients that are often added to many fertilizers, herbicides,
and insecticides. Composting is a terrific way to reduce the amount of trash people generate.
Food scraps that CAN be added: Non-plant material that can be added:
• rinsed and crushed egg shells • coffee grinds • cardboard (torn or shredded into small pieces, but not pizza boxes because they
• salad greens (rinse off all dressings) contain oils from food)
• chopped raw vegetables • cooked vegetables free of sauces • unbleached, ink-free paper scraps (including paper bags)
• hair
To avoid odors & pests NEVER add:
• meat • bones • fat • oils • dairy products • processed foods NEVER add diseased plants, weeds going to seed, or cat/dog wastes.