08-25: The Importance of Insects with David Leatherman

·38 min·3 clips

Colorado birder David Leatherman explains why birds actively look for chewed leaves and brown spots to find hidden insect prey.

The episode opens with host Nate Swick announcing the 2024 Young Birder of the Year winners, Chris Henry and Anna Reichenbach, and highlighting the ABA's mentoring program. Swick then introduces the week's topic: attracting birds by supporting insects, featuring David Leatherman. After a rare bird report on American flamingos in Texas, the interview begins. Leatherman, a former forest entomologist, describes how his interest started with seeing an Orange-crowned Warbler eat a caterpillar. He explains that birds look for 'defect' in plants—chewed leaves, folded leaves, brown spots—as clues to insect presence. Leatherman details specific signs like galls (which he calls 'insect piñatas'), oozing sap indicating bark beetles, and boring dust. The discussion explores the irony that birds thrive on what humans might see as damaged nature. Leatherman addresses urban habitat conflicts, such as removing dead trees that are hazards but also wildlife homes. He shares his personal approach: documenting bird-insect interactions feels like collecting 'lifers' and contributes to conservation knowledge. A key segment challenges the native plant orthodoxy; Leatherman recounts observing nearly 30 bird species feeding on a European insect in a non-native Siberian elm during migration in Colorado. He argues for pragmatism, suggesting birders assess which non-natives function ecologically and focus removal efforts carefully. The conversation turns to managing yards, with Leatherman advising tolerance for insect damage up to a point (e.g., blemishes are okay, but half a tree dying may not be). He emphasizes that birds provide free pest control, like Bush Tits eating aphids. Swick and Leatherman also discuss beneficial insects like wasps that prey on caterpillars. Leatherman recommends identification tools like iNaturalist, BugGuide, and the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects to overcome the intimidation of insect diversity. He notes a growing interest in holistic birding among some birders, seen through listserv posts. The episode concludes with details on Leatherman's article in the April 2024 Birding magazine and acknowledgments to new ABA members.

As heard by us

A Colorado migration hotspot, a Siberian elm, and one European insect open a larger question about how birds use changing habitats.

The American Birding Podcast frames insects as part of the habitat puzzle birds are constantly solving, then grounds that idea in an Eastern Plains Colorado migration hotspot. There, just shy of 30 bird species were feeding on one European insect in a Siberian elm.

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Want to know what birds are eating when a habitat's labels stop behaving?

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