Dry diet
Thetford forest is a good place to see birds drinking at puddles and ponds. Chris Packham and Ron Hoblan spot crossbills, red polls, siskins, chaffinches and brambling all drinking at one puddle. They are all species that eat conifer seeds and need to drink a lot because their diet is so dry. The crossbills are one of Britain's most exotic looking birds: their oddly shaped bills are perfectly adapted for splitting open pine cones, but are a bit awkward for drinking.
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