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Project Noah Nature School
Passer domesticus
adaptation!!! early morning- a scene in Coonoor ,near ooty ...house sparrows use cigarette butts to keep out parasites Lining nests with material from discarded cigarettes may help keep out parasitic mites.Birds have long been known to line their nests with vegetation rich in compounds that drive away parasites. Chemicals in tobacco leaves are known to repel arthropods such as parasitic mites......“It really makes me wonder: might these birds show a preference for cigarette brands high in nicotine? If they did, that might suggest this behaviour has truly evolved as an adaptive response to challenges from parasites,”
Spotted on Dec 28, 2012
Submitted on Dec 31, 2012
2 Comments
Awesome fact!!intelligent creature. Maybe it is their sense of smell which helps them detect the chemical.
Chemicals in tobacco leaves are known to repel arthropods such as parasitic mites.....