Crows and the Paleo Diet

[Rosie]

I came across this article, and it suggests the importance of "natural foods" rather than supplements in a diet........

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature ... o_to_town_
In a 2009 study comparing the effects of available food on chick rearing in suburban and rural places, Clark, McGowan and Rebecca Heiss, a graduate student at Binghamton at the time, reported evidence that nutrient deficits in suburbia may be limiting the growth of young crows there. Suburban crows lag behind country cousins in size, and offering suburbanites high-protein, high-calcium supplements boosted nestling growth. What startled the researchers, though, was what happened when they set out supplemental nestling food in the countryside. Crows that took home the best nutritional formula used by specialists in nursing orphan chicks ended up with noticeably punier youngsters than neighbors relying entirely on wild food. Even the best food that humans could concoct fell short of a natural diet.

[tex]

Even the best food that humans could concoct fell short of a natural diet.

I'll bet that comes as a surprise to almost everyone except the members of this board, (and paleo diet fans, in general).

Thanks for the link.

Tex

[Polly]

Fascinating, Rosie!

I am a big fan of both crows and the paleo diet! We love our visiting crows every day - and never tire of observing them. I will have to research the preferred natural food of crows.

I used to put out sugar water in a hummingbird feeder for the hummers. Over the years I have planted enough native plants preferred by hummers that I now have something natural in bloom continuously from April to Oct. And guess what??? This year not one bird drank the sugar water - they only used the native plants.

Hugs,

Polly