Ground foraging
Searching on the ground for insects, worms, acorns, berries, fruits, seeds, etc.
Sonoran Desert examples: Gambel's quail, curve-billed thrasher, white-crowned sparrow
Crevice foraging
Bark foraging: Creeping along the trunk and branches of a tree, plucking insects from between crevices in the bark.
Rock foraging: Searching along cliff faces and rocky areas, plucking insects from between rock crevices with a long, narrow bill.
Sonoran Desert examples: Rock wren, canyon wren
Gleaning
Actively moving about a tree, shrub, bush, or cactus, plucking tiny insects from the surface of leaves or branches.
Sonoran Desert examples: Black-tailed gnatcatcher, verdin
Hawking/sallying
Also called flycatching, this method usually involves catching insects in flight. Often, it occurs when a perched bird leaves its perch, flies out to catch an insect, then returns to perch.
Sonoran Desert examples: Ash-throated flycatcher, Say's phoebe
Scanning
This feeding method is employed by birds of prey, soaring from a height, scanning the ground (or water) for prey. Often involves looking at prey from a distance, using finely-tuned binocular vision.
Sonoran Desert examples: Birds of prey; Harris' hawk, red-tailed hawk
Probing/drilling
When a woodpecker drills out a hole in a tree or cactus to uncover a meal, it is using this foraging method.
Sonoran Desert example: Gila woodpecker
Searching on the ground for insects, worms, acorns, berries, fruits, seeds, etc.
Sonoran Desert examples: Gambel's quail, curve-billed thrasher, white-crowned sparrow
Crevice foraging
Bark foraging: Creeping along the trunk and branches of a tree, plucking insects from between crevices in the bark.
Rock foraging: Searching along cliff faces and rocky areas, plucking insects from between rock crevices with a long, narrow bill.
Sonoran Desert examples: Rock wren, canyon wren
Gleaning
Actively moving about a tree, shrub, bush, or cactus, plucking tiny insects from the surface of leaves or branches.
Sonoran Desert examples: Black-tailed gnatcatcher, verdin
Hawking/sallying
Also called flycatching, this method usually involves catching insects in flight. Often, it occurs when a perched bird leaves its perch, flies out to catch an insect, then returns to perch.
Sonoran Desert examples: Ash-throated flycatcher, Say's phoebe
Scanning
This feeding method is employed by birds of prey, soaring from a height, scanning the ground (or water) for prey. Often involves looking at prey from a distance, using finely-tuned binocular vision.
Sonoran Desert examples: Birds of prey; Harris' hawk, red-tailed hawk
Probing/drilling
When a woodpecker drills out a hole in a tree or cactus to uncover a meal, it is using this foraging method.
Sonoran Desert example: Gila woodpecker