Which of the following groups of birds would eat grubs, nuts, beetles, and to some extent, berries?

• A. Kestrels and screech owls
• B. Kingfishers and ospreys
• C. Ducks and geese
• D. Woodpeckers, sapsuckers and flickers

Answer: (D)

Understanding how a bird forages helps predict its typical foods. Woodpeckers, sapsuckers, and flickers are known for extracting insect prey from inside wood—grubs and beetles—using their strong, chisel-like bills and their habit of hammering into bark. They also eat plant foods like nuts and seeds and will take berries when available, making them a good fit for a mixed diet that includes grubs, beetles, nuts, and some fruit. The other groups emphasize different primary foods: kestrels and screech owls hunt small vertebrates and insects rather than wood-borne grubs; kingfishers and ospreys specialize in fish; ducks and geese eat aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates and only sometimes berries. So the group that aligns best with the described diet is woodpeckers, sapsuckers and flickers.