I need someone's help with this bird question?

Question

Ok. So yesterday or maybe 2 days ago I asked a question titled, "Urgent Tomato Question??!!??"

It was because I had a problem with some creature taking big bites out of our tomatoes, well couple people answered, and 2 said birds, one said a platypus cat, and the other said rabbits. I picked rabbits because he lived in Texas also. Well, I'm looking out my window this morning, observing my plants, and we catch BIRDS red-handed!!!! So, my new dilemma is that we could not identify which bird it is. We have out our bird books and can't find them. We tried to take pictures but they flew away.

Ok, so this is the best I can do to describe what they look like.

They look like blue jays. They have stripes from head to toe. I think they're white stripes. BUT, it has a square head like a woodpecker!!

I live in Humble, Tx. It's outside of Houston.

If you have details that I may have left out, tell me so I can update it.

Much appreciated.

Thanks to everyone!!

~~Kaylee (:

Answer 1

BIrds will eat tomatoes on the vine. It could be any kind of bird -- Woodpeckers usually go for tomatoes when they're looking for worms or grubs in them. Some birds will dig in looking for seeds (if you look up the Carolina Parakeet, you'll see why it was hunted into extinction -- it would destroy apples just to get to the seeds).

P.S. Here's a woodpecker with stripes:

Answer 2

Hoopoe

From the description it looks like hoopoe. But are they present in Houstan?

The Hoopoe (IPA: [ˈhuːpuː]) Upupa epops is a bird in the same order of often colourful near passerine birds as the kingfishers, bee-eaters, and rollers.



Preening at Puri, Orissa, India.However, in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Hoopoe is separated from the Coraciiformes as a separate order, the Upupiformes. It is the only extant member of its family, although what are now considered subspecies, such as the resident African form U. e. africana, were formerly sometimes given specific status.

Hoopoes are widespread in Europe, Asia and North Africa, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. They migrate from all but the southernmost part of their range to the tropics in winter.

Their habitat is open cultivated ground with short grass or bare patches. They spend much time on the ground hunting insects and worms.

The Hoopoe is 25–29cm long, with a 44–48cm wingspan. This black, white and pink bird is quite unmistakable, especially in its erratic flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly. The crest is erectile, but is mostly kept closed. It walks on the ground like a starling.

The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific names.

The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall. Like those of its relatives the kingfishers, the nest tends to contain copious amounts of faeces and smell very foul as a protection against predators. Nesting hoopoes are capable of squirting fecal matter at intruders.

The long-extinct Giant Hoopoe, U. antaios, lived on the island of St Helena.

Another possibility is a bird from Roller or King-fisher family.

Particularly  the ringed kingfishers are known eat berries (tomato is a berry).

Answer 3

Birds love tomatoes and lots of other veggies and fruit on fruit trees.  I'm surprised you didn't believe it when they told you birds will eat tomatoes.  But squirrels will also eat them.  I caught them eating ours last year.

K

Answer 4

I'm betting it's some type of scrub- jays. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_jay

But it could be the Mexican Jay, but you said stripes on it's head. Here's the mexican jay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Jay

Take a peek, i believe there are now several types of those hybrid jays about now. Scrub jays are starting to spread. They are a troublesome new bird species that started in south america.

All birds hate owls, you can get a plastic owl to keep near your tomatoes, just make sure every two to three days you move it. Otherwise they figure out it isn't real, birds are rather intelligent.

Good luck.