Wild Birds as Survival Food?

[MBTull]

I read somewhere (probably here) that all birds are edible. I have read a lot about killing squirrels and rabbits for survival. What about wild birds? Is it worth the time and work? Is there any easy way to get rid of the feathers? Any birds that taste better than any others? Best way to cook them?

I see a whole lot more birds when I am walking that squirrels and rabbits. I also know that my Crosman 1377 will kill a bird where it will not kill a rabbit or a squirrel.

Your thoughts and suggestions are most welcome.

 

[mariobab]

A pheasant is not hard to kill with throwing stick if one is detected on ground- I saw man done that some 25 years ago.When I was some 10,we hunted pigeons with air guns and then friend's mother used those for stew.I doubt that anyone here eats pigeons anymore.
Birds of prey might be highly infested with parasites,vultures both with parasites and bacterias.
And as for birds,as far as I know,except this little things above that should be taken care of (thoroughly cooking),all birds are edible.

 

[C.S. Graves]

Best way to cook them?

I've read that boiling is recommended for the more parasite-riddled varieties. :barf:

 

[kgd]

Grouse on a stick = yum!

 

[Wandering_About]

Vultures are the only ones I know you really have to worry much about. Have been told that boiling them works, but they don't taste very good. Except in certain conditions, I think going for small furry game is always going to be much easier than getting birds. I could see a person trapping for some birds, especially pheasants in late winter or during an extended cold and snowy period.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day MBT

I read somewhere (probably here) ....
What about wild birds? Is it worth the time and work? Is there any easy way to get rid of the feathers? Any birds that taste better than any others? Best way to cook them?

Is it worth the time? IMO if your looking to feed yourself, a small source of protein is better than no protein.

Probably the easiest way to remove the feathers is to use the flames from your campfire to singe them off. Then rub the bird down with your hands to remove any residual charred feathers.

If clay is available, you can also encase the bird with clay and cook it by burying it in some coals. When it's cooked, crack open the clay "casserol dish" and the feathers will come off with the clay.

If you don't mind loosing the skin, skinning the bird will also remove all the feathers.

IMO the best tasting birds are the grain eaters.

There are a variety of ways to cook them. If you've got a big enough pot you can boil them. If there is clay available see above. You can also roast them over the fire, or bone them and fry them. You'll know when they're cooked when a stab into the meat only produces clear juices.

Hope this helps.


Kind regards
Mick

 

[RescueRiley]

I guess your meaning smaller birds like song birds?? people don't talk about it I imagine as birds like that are illegal to kill in most places.. obviously anything goes in a survival sit.
Obviously grouse, pheasant, ptarmigan, quail and water fowl, have a season, and would be quite a meal if they can be found... when I was a kid I shot a few song birds one day when I first got my bb gun... I brought them home and my dad said.. well you killed 'em now you got to eat em...I got about a boogers worth of meat out of each one....but I imagine if you coulde stew a few in a canteen cup you could make some kind of soup...I think there are better payoffs however in regards to hunting other things...

Also I've killed both squirrels and rabbits with a 1377 don't sell it short got to use the right pelletes and pick your shot.. a little more carefully than regulalry

 

[Rupestris]

Vultures are the only ones I know you really have to worry much about. Have been told that boiling them works, but they don't taste very good. Except in certain conditions, I think going for small furry game is always going to be much easier than getting birds. I could see a person trapping for some birds, especially pheasants in late winter or during an extended cold and snowy period.

I'd avoid Crow and Pigeon (in an urban/suburban area) as well.

A fine mesh net strung between trees can be used to catch small birds.

A wild turkey hen on a nest will protect the eggs for as long as she feels its safe. I've walked up to them and got within a few feet before they took flight. Once you know where the nest is, you just wait for her to return.

 

[dipbait]

Turkey, quail, dove, pheasant, duck and some others I have had. Birds are good.

One time in the winter I spotted two quail under a cedar tree ,huddled next to each other. I walked over and picked them up. They were frozen solid.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Birds are edible at all stages of development if you can keep them down.

Pigeons I wouldn't bother plucking unless it was a real crisis and I needed to make the most off it. Just open it up and go for the double mastectomy.

Crows and other tough brutes need a long slow cooking ideally. The exception is what we call branchers - baby crows stepping out that haven't really earned their wings yet. They go good in pie with bacon.

 

[udtjim]

BTW, turkey eggs are delicious. Probably better than most wild turkeys.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Just for fun, ever consider a Bunting?

I had a much better video than the one at the bottom of this post but I can't lay hands on it so I'll supplement the Clarkson one with this:

From The Annals of Gluttony: The Ortolan
by Teddy Bergman

"This column will look at issues of Gluttony, the sin most salient to the readership of this blog and gastronomes throughout history and the world. It will range from current issues like Burger King's Meat Lover's Sandwich (whose famous promise of "meat on top of meat on top of meat" reads more like Larry Craig's weekend plans) to issues of a more historical focus like today's topic.

At the semi-ripe age of 79, Francois Mitterrand, France's longest serving president, was in the last stages of his losing battle with cancer. A great glutton, known for his numerous adulterous affairs and at least one bastard child, Mitterrand decided to hold a grand final dinner for 30 of his nearest and dearest. The menu apparently included Foie Gras, Oysters, and finally a spate of roasted two ounce ORTOLANS - the now illegal to eat bird and the ultimate glutton's delight.

The Ortolan, Emberiza Hortulana, is a small song bird (similar to a finch) found in the forests of France. The capture and preparation of this delicacy is particularly romantic in its barbarism. The birds are caught in nets and quickly blinded or put in a dark box for an extended period of time. This sightlessness apparently disrupts the bird's biorhythms in such a way as to cause it to gorge itself on the ample grain and millet provided by its captors. When the bird has fattened to four times its natural size it is promptly drowned in ARMAGNAC. Yes that's right. Armagnac. The bird is promptly plucked and roasted plain for five minutes.

The eater covers her head and face with a napkin both to keep the precious aromas close and to hide these doings from God. The eater then takes the still piping hot bird and puts it on her tongue; quickly panting to cool it and allow the ambrosial fat to run down her throat. Keeping the whole Ortolan in her mouth, the eater allows the beak or head to protrude through her lips before she promptly bites it off. Then you eat the bird whole, bones et all. People describe the progression of flavors as:

1. An orgasmic layer of crisp skin, supple meat and euphoric fat.
2. The bitter bite of the giblets.
3. The "Freshen Up Gum"-like surprise of biting into the pea sized lungs and being rewarded with a splash of Armagnac.
4. The crunch of the small bones which lacerate the gums in your mouth, producing an intoxicating blend of bird mash and human blood.


Some people claim they can taste the entire life of the bird in flavors ranging from Moroccan Wheat and the Mediterranean breeze to the lavender of Provence. That sounds like total horseshit to me, though the picture of Mitterrand's family sitting around a dinner table, faces shrouded like so many Klansmen, munching away on tiny birds, is priceless. Finally, as we saw, eating one Ortolan is considered sinful enough to hide from God, and Mitterrand, bless his sick fucking heart, ate two."

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4MS7mSzX8

 

[halo2]

Yes, I'd use them. I'd consider traps over shooting them, but to each his own. Not sure I could hit one with a rock or stick.

Funny, I've been literally within 2 feet of a rooster pheasant and if the dog hadn't pointed it, I'd have never known. Makes me wonder how many I've walked by.

 

[ADD]

In a pinch, soaked bread crumbs in booze as bait.

Makes 'em disoriented and catchable by hand.

Just sayin....

 

[udtjim]

If you have enough booze, forget about the bird.

 

[kgd]

Now that sounds like a party!

The eater covers her head and face with a napkin both to keep the precious aromas close and to hide these doings from God. The eater then takes the still piping hot bird and puts it on her tongue; quickly panting to cool it and allow the ambrosial fat to run down her throat. Keeping the whole Ortolan in her mouth, the eater allows the beak or head to protrude through her lips before she promptly bites it off. Then you eat the bird whole, bones et all. People describe the progression of flavors as:

1. An orgasmic layer of crisp skin, supple meat and euphoric fat.
2. The bitter bite of the giblets.
3. The "Freshen Up Gum"-like surprise of biting into the pea sized lungs and being rewarded with a splash of Armagnac.
4. The crunch of the small bones which lacerate the gums in your mouth, producing an intoxicating blend of bird mash and human blood.

 

[akabu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6XsH1fHkMU&feature=related

 

[CC U]

There are several ways to capture wild birds.

The hardest is with a GSP pointer and a shot gun, ( as I shoot behind them every time)
On the ground or in a tree is easy with a wrist rocket.
Make a bunch of loops with fishing line where you consistantly see birds land by a watering hole, and when they land their legs get snared.

Cooking them, wild birds are tough and have a game taste.
To remove the game taste, bone them and let them soak in a solution of salt water overnight. This will also kill parasites along with some bacteria and viruses. Every Pioneer had large quantities of salt, and salted their game to preserve and clean them.

To make them less tough, as compared to the modern pen raised chicken, slow cook them on medium low heat. A dutch oven with a layer mixed ash and coals works well for this. If you scrape the skin of fat and membrane along with the bone marrow as a grease, it works fairly well. Be careful and rinse the salt solution from teh game before using cast iron, it can pit the finish if not cured well enough.

Greens such as pine needles, and some aromatic leaves can help remove the smell from some unplesant meat such as crow, if you cube the meat and stew it. Other roots such as cat tail, dandilion, and some others work well to add vitamins to the stew.

My Grandfather made me eat what ever I killed, and my Great Grandmother gave me those tips. Live and learn from mistakes.

 

[gadgetgeek]

in a long term situation, having birds to supplement your diet should help prevent "rabbit starvation" although finding edible vegetation would do the same.

 

[Horn Dog]

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,
When the pie was opened there they were.

All cooked together dead with all their feathers burnt off!