HOW BIRDS AFFECT THE ORCHARD. 
By F. E. L. Beat, B.S., 
Assistant Biologist, Biological Survey. 
INTRODUCTION. 
That birds sometimes inflict injuries upon orchard trees and their 
products is a fact with which every fruit grower is familiar; but it 
is not so well known that they are frequently of great service in 
destroying enemies of the orchard, and yet the aid they render in this 
subtler way far more than offsets the harm that is so apparent. 
The enemies with which the fruit grower has to contend, aside from 
the elements and the birds themselves, may be divided into three cat- 
egories: Vegetable parasites, such as fungi and bacteria; certain mam- 
mals, such as rabbits and mice; and insects of various kinds. Against 
vegetable foes birds afford little, if any, protection. Their efficiency 
is shown in the destruction of noxious mammals and insects. The 
value of their work in dollars and cents is difficult of determination, 
but careful study has brought out much of practical importance in 
ascertaining approximately to what degree each species is harmful or 
helpful in its relation to the orchard. 
SOME BIRDS IMPORTANT TO THE FRUIT GROWER. 
WOODPECKERS. 
Among birds which most directly affect the interests of the fruit 
grower may be mentioned woodpeckers, of which about 45 species and 
subspecies are found within the limits of the United States, all of 
decided economic importance. Their subsistence is obtained for the 
most part upon trees, a mode of life for which they are specially 
adapted. The character of the feet and tail enables them to cling 
easily to upright trunks, and the structure of the bill and tongue gives 
them the power to cut into solid wood and withdraw the insects lodged 
inside. The toes are in pairs, one pair projecting forward and the 
other backward, and are furnished with very strong, sharp claws, an 
arrangement which insures a firm hold upon the bark. The tail is 
composed of very stiff feathers pointed at the end, that can be pressed 
against the tree trunk, and thus made to support and steady the bird. 
The beak is rather long, but stout, and furnished with a chisel-shaped 
point, which is hardened and sharpened so as to render it a most 
effective wood-cutting instrument. The tongue, the most peculiar 
portion of the anatomy of these birds, is extended backward by two 
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