What does it mean for a bird to “put over its crop”?

When a bird is said to "put over its crop," it refers to the action of forcing food from the crop into the stomach for digestion. The crop is a pouch-like structure in the digestive system where food can be stored temporarily, allowing the bird to eat larger amounts of food when it finds it and then digest it at a later, more convenient time.

When the bird is ready to process its food, it contracts muscles around the crop to push the stored food down into the stomach. This biological function is particularly important for birds of prey, like those used in falconry, as it ensures they efficiently manage their food intake and can act on their feeding needs according to their activity levels or hunting circumstances.

In contrast, the other answers relate to different behaviors not specifically indicative of this action. Eating in flight pertains to a bird's feeding behavior during flight, and storing food in the crop describes the initial process of eating rather than the act of transferring it to the stomach. Signaling to a falconer could be a behavioral response to various stimuli but does not directly relate to the function of the crop in digestion.