Insects - dangerous and harmless
Can I be seen?
Many insects are camouflaged. They blend in with their backgrounds,so that they are difficult to detectby birds hunting for food.
Look at me!
But insects with bright shades of red, blue, yellow and other colours are also common in nature. They are easy to see and should therefore risk being caught and eaten.
Beware!
Oddly enough, birds tend to avoid many brightly coloured insects. The yellow jacket is a good example, and the reason is the same for birds as for humans – its sting!
I am dangerous!
Many birds have painful experience of yellow jacket stings and have thus learned to avoid those insects. And yellow jackets are easy to recognize by their distinctive colouring, which conveys the message; "I am dangerous. Keep away!"
