You can’t fail to have noticed that at this time of year there are nuts and seeds everywhere. The ground is strewn with conkers and the bows of oak trees droop low with the weight of thousands of acorns. Nuts and seeds provide a great food source for all kinds of creatures, but it’s a very seasonal supply. In spring and summer there’s almost nothing, then in autumn there’s a glut - a single oak tree can produce 90,000 acorns in a season!
Food, glorious food!
Birds and animals rush to take advantage of this abundant food, but even the greediest bird can’t possibly eat all the food lying around in one go.
So, what’s a bird to do?
Well, jays have come up with a pretty nifty strategy to make the most of the glut – they store it for later.
Jays will cram as many acorns as they possibly can into their crop – a stretchy pouch in their throat – then carefully bury each one in a secluded spot. Jays are so committed to this food caching behaviour that one bird can bury as many as 3,000 acorns in just one month!
When harsh winter weather sets in and the jay is in need of a nutritious snack, it will remember exactly where it left each acorn and return to dig it up, perhaps months after it was initially buried.
This is no mean feat when you consider that they have so many caches to keep track of, scattered throughout their territory, and that many aspects of the landscape change dramatically over time. I find it hard enough each morning to remember where I put my car keys the night before, so it really does put my memory to shame!
As you’d expect, not all of the acorns are collected and those left buried in the earth will often germinate and start growing into brand new trees – making sure that the cycle continues. In this way, jays play a crucial role in the spread of oak woodlands.
Avian espionage
And it’s not just jays that exhibit this behaviour. Other members of the corvid family, such as their close cousins the magpies and crows, will also cache food.
Their ingenuity doesn’t stop with simply burying their food either – they’ll also play the role of thief. They watch as their neighbour buries food, and when their back is turned, will sneak in and pilfer the stash! Unsurprisingly, corvids also employ counter strategies to try to prevent their hoard being raided. They will try to bury their food out of sight of potential thieves, and if there’s no option but to cache food in front of others, they will often return to a stash once the others have left and move it. Clever, huh?!
So when you’re out and about this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for caching corvids - they really are amazing creatures!
Oh dear - I hope he noticed before he put his foot in it!
Plenty of corvid caching in this household. Only last night the other half ended up with some of the cat's wet food in his shoe thanks to a magpie ;)
A closed mouth gathers no foot.