Which best describes a bird’s role as it eats seeds? A. parasite B. predator C. habitat D. niche

Which best describes a bird’s role as it eats seeds?

A. parasite

B. predator

C. habitat

D. niche

Answer: B. predator

Ecologically we can say that a bird eating seeds is a predator in this case. When we think of predators, the usual picture in our mind is a carnivorous animal hunting a much bigger animal; however, the theory of ecology defines predation in a much broader way, and this is as a living being feeding on another living being no matter the size.

In this regard, a bird cracking seeds is aptly categorized as a predator in the sense that it is consuming the seeds, which are fruits, as food. They proposed that this relationship is systematic, and represents some aspect of the bird’s role in its environment, or ecological niche. For instance, a finch employing its existing beak to break open a sunflower seed is a predator to that seed. Likewise, about a cardinal consuming fruit from a bush, the cardinal is recognized as the predator. In this way, the relations between different living depend on the predator-prey relation between birds and seeds necessary in many ecosystems. Apart from offering the birds meals, the Bird food also assists the plant because some seeds remain unaffected after passing through the bird’s stomach, and the bird excretes them somewhere; they may develop into a plant. Implicit in this mutualistic aspect is not the fact that the first act of consumption does show a modicum of predatory tendencies. Still, it should be noted that many birds do not feed on only seeds and other plant materials but may hunt for insects and other small vertebrates, thus illustrating a more intricate picture of the relationships. This concept of birds as predators clarifies the relationships of the organisms in displaying the various roles of the ecosystem and the versatility of the roles they perform in their environment.