58 BIRDS OP CALIFORNIA AFFECTING FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



Vegetable food.— Two prominent constituents make up the vege- 

 table food of the redwing — grain and weed seed. Grain amounts 

 to 70 and weed seed to 15 percent. The grain consists of corn, 

 wheat, oats, and barley. Oats are the favorite. They amount to 

 over 47 percent of the yearly food, and were eaten in every month 

 except February, when they were replaced by barley. The month 

 of maximum consumption was December, when nearly 72 percent 

 was eaten, but several other months were nearly as high. Wheat 

 stands next to oats in the quantity eaten, nearly 13 percent. It is 

 taken quite regularly in every month except March and May. Bar- 

 ley was found only in stomachs taken in February, October, and 

 November, and nearly all of it was taken in February. The aver- 

 age for the year is 5.5 percent. Corn is eaten still less than barley, 

 and nearly all was consumed in September, when it reached nearly 

 46 percent of the month's food. A little was eaten in May, August, 

 and October, but the aggregate for the year is only slightly more than 

 4 percent. 



Weed seed amounts to 15 percent of the food of the bicolored red- 

 wing. It is eaten in every month except May, when it gives way 

 to animal food. The following species were identified: 



Sunflower (Helianthus sp.). Chickweed (Stellaria media). 



Tarweed ( Madia sativa) . Catchfl y (Silene sp . ) . 



Bur clover (Medicago denticulatum) . Smartweed {Polygonum). 



Alfilaria (Erodium cicutarium). Sorrel (Rumex sp.). 



Red maids (Calandrinia menziesi). Canary seed (Phalaris caroliniana) . 



Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Sedge (Carex sp.). 



These seeds were eaten very regularly throughout the year. The 

 greatest consumption is in March, 35 percent, but as the record for 

 several other months does not fall much below, probably this has 

 no special significance. All of the above weeds are more or less of a 

 nuisance, though at times some of them may be used as forage plants. 

 Fruit is not eaten by the bicolored redwing. 



Food of young. — Among the stomachs of the bicolored redwing 

 were 11 of nestlings varying in age from 4 days to 2 weeks. 

 The food was made up of 99 percent of animal matter and 1 percent 

 of vegetable, though most of the latter was mere rubbish, no doubt 

 accidental. Caterpillars were the largest item, and amounted to an 

 average of 45 percent. Beetles, many of them in the larval state, 

 stood next, with 32 percent. Hemiptera, especially stinkbugs and 

 leaf hoppers, amounted to 19 percent. A few miscellaneous insects and 

 spiders made up the other 3 percent. It will be noted that the food 

 of the young is practically all animal and that a preponderance of 

 caterpillars and beetle larvae makes it softer than that of the adults. 



