how much does a bird weigh in grams

One question is always floating around the office where we create the RSPB magazines as the evenings grow darker and the golden leaves begin to fall to the ground. The question is, “Did you watch Autumnwatch last night?” rather than, “Are you participating in the pumpkin carving competition this year?” Of course, the response is, “Yes,” (to both).

And it’s not the only bird facing amazing physical difficulties. Weighing about 200 g, the kestrel has been observed to feed on starlings and even blackbirds. Given that those birds weigh about 75 g and 100 g, respectively, the kestrel is hunting prey that is nearly half its body weight, which is no small feat.

It just so happens that we have been discussing bird weights a lot lately because Jack has designed an intriguing feature for our kids’ magazines that will test readers’ knowledge of how much birds weigh. And there are some surprising stats. It may surprise you to learn that a blue tit weighs exactly 10 g, or one-pound coins. Even lighter are willow warblers, which travel over 8,000 kilometers to the UK each summer.

The first episode of Autumnwatch 2017 featured some spectacular bee-eaters at East Leake quarry in Nottinghamshire (you can read Jenny Shelton’s post about her day at the quarry with Michaela Strachan here). In their discussions about these amazing birds, Chris Packham mentioned that, amazingly, bee-eaters weigh only 50 g, about as much as eight 2p coins.

Autumn brings the tiny goldcrest, weighing about the same as a two-pence, over to the UK from Scandinavia. I’m holding a two-penny coin, and it amazes me that something so little could make its way across hundreds of kilometers of open ocean while encountering strong winds, traveling at night, and having no chance to rest. (See page 16 of the most recent Winter 2017 issue of Nature’s Home for more information about the goldcrest.) ).

We advise weighing your birds because obesity is common among our exotic birds because, as caged birds and clipped parrots, they receive far less exercise than their cousins in the jungle. Another added benefit is making sure they are healthy.

Parrots are the opposite of small birds, which are difficult to weigh on a gram scale because they are typically kept flighted and not hand-trained. If at all possible, we strongly advise you to weigh your bird at the same time each day.

While I am not able to include every species and subspecies here, these are the most prevalent birds that we see:

The only indicator that your companion bird is ill is a daily weight loss in grams. This is a guideline for adult birds, so please bear in mind that while babies still on the formula can surpass these numbers, they will lose 10% to 15% of their body weight during the weaning process, but they should regain it in their first year. These are ranges, and naturally, each bird may differ slightly depending on the size of their frame or the number of babies they had in their clutch, but if you weigh your baby on a regular basis, you will be aware of their baseline weight.

Because they are prey, exotic birds are adept at concealing illness almost until it is too late.

FAQ

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