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THE EARLY bird, as everyone knows, gets the worm. But does anyone know HOW early the early bird is? And which birds are earlier than others?

The answers to all these questions can now be revealed, thanks to a survey which shows which birds are the real early risers, which stay up all night and which prefer to have a lie-in.

Robins are the quickest out of their nest in London, up for breakfast less than a quarter of an hour after first light, according to the survey by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

They are followed soon after by blackbirds (although in the countryside the positions are reversed), and then blue tits and crows.

In contrast, the real lie-a-beds are goldfinches, greenfinches, starlings and wood pigeons.

The BTO carried out the survey to find out about how birds judge the right moment to get their first feed of the day - in particular, how to balance the need to avoid starving to death with the need to avoid being eaten by the neighbourhood cat.

In the first national survey of its kind, carried out in conjunction with Radio 4's Today programme, they asked bird lovers on the shortest day of the year - 21 December - to record the first 10 species they saw feeding after dawn.

Mike Toms, the organiser for Garden Birdwatch, said: "Because you're sitting around at night in the cold for so many hours you're burningup a lot of energy trying to keep warm. Small birds lose heat more quickly than big birds, and they don't carry as much in the way of fat reserves. You would expect them to get up early and go to the feeders early to replace the up to 10 per cent of their body weight they have lost overnight.

"But there are other things going on, such as predation. A lot of small birds are taken by cats and sparrow hawks. Some smaller birds will also time their visits to avoid competitors. Late risers like greenfinches come in mob-handed to bird tables."

Robins and blackbirds headed the list because they are sometimes up all night, said Mr Toms.

"In areas where there is street lighting we have had reports of people hearing blackbirds singing through the night. It's almost like a 24-hour feeding opportunity. If there is street lighting they can sing and advertise themselves and look for food."

One of the surprises was how early the dunnock was up. "Dunnocks feed beneath bushes and shrubs. We think that they are arriving early to avoid greenfinches and starlings which dominate through the rest of the day."

# posted by Medical Information : 3:57 AM