The Titmouse and the Hummingbird Feeder

A young titmouse was watching hummingbirds at the hummingbird feeder on our deck. When the hummingbirds flew away the titmouse flew to the red feeder and tried to feed; the titmouse tired and tried, but of course the openings on the hummingbird feeder were too small for the titmouse to draw any nectar. After numerous attempts the bird gave up and flew away.

Not knowing the cognitive ability of birds I have no way of knowing to what degree the titmouse processed the experience – other birds were getting something from the feeder, their behavior was feeding behavior, why couldn’t the titmouse eat from the feeder? Hopefully the young titmouse will emulate the habits of its parents as opposed to trying to be something it is not – a hummingbird.

How often do we try to be something that we are not? Just because others are getting nourishment from a feeder doesn’t mean that the feeder is meant for us. If the titmouse insisted on getting food from the hummingbird feeder to the exclusion of all other food sources it would die.

Suppose some hummingbirds succeeded in convincing the titmouse that it was a hummingbird and that it needed to feed as a hummingbird? The titmouse would die.

Here is a sense in which the titmouse is smarter than people. The titmouse quickly realized, as perplexed as it was, that the hummingbird feeder was not for him.