As the nights draw in and the golden leaves flutter to the ground, one question regularly flies around the office where we make the RSPB magazines. Not “are you doing the pumpkin carving competition this year?” but “did you watch Autumnwatch last night?” And, of course, the answer is always “yes”, (to both).
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.
Coincidently, we’ve been talking a lot about bird weights recently, as Jack has masterminded a fascinating feature for the next issue of our kids’ mags, testing youngsters' knowledge on how much birds weigh. And there are some surprising stats. Did you know that a blue tit weighs the same amount as a £1 coin? That’s just 10 g. Willow warblers, a bird that flies over 8,000 km to the UK every summer, weighs even less.
And that’s not the only bird meeting some incredible physical challenges. The kestrel, which weighs in at around 200 g, has been known to prey on starlings and even blackbirds. Consider then that those birds weigh around 75 g and 100 g respectively, and that means the kestrel is hunting birds almost half its body weight, no mean feat.
Looking abroad, tiny hummingbirds can weigh as little as a few grams, that’s less than a 1 p coin. At the other end of the spectrum, the mighty ostrich weighs 150 kg. That’s 23.6 stone, probably roughly the combined weight of half the magazine team.
Despite weighing less than a 2 pence piece, the goldcrest migrates incredible distances. Photo: iStock
The tiny goldcrest, which weighs about the same a 2 p, migrates to the UK from Scandinavia in autumn. Holding a 2 pence coin in my hand, it’s incredible to think that something so small could cross hundreds of kilometres of open ocean, facing gale force winds, traveling in darkness, and with no opportunity for rest. (Read more about the goldcrest on page 16 of the current Winter 2017 issue of Nature’s Home.)
Look out for more amazing bird weights, plus some testing bird maths in the January-February 2018 issue of Wild Explorer magazine!
The kestrel, which weighs about 200 grams, has been observed preying on starlings and even blackbirds. When you consider that the birds weigh roughly 75 g and 100 g, the kestrel is cookie clicker hunting birds that are almost half its body weight, which is no little effort.