Self-Fumigating Finches
Scientists help Darwin's Finches protect themselves against parasites with a gift....
Scientists help Darwin's Finches protect themselves against parasites with a gift.
Darwin's famous finches on the Galapagos Islands are being threatened by a parasitic fly introduced by humans. The fly invades the birds' nests and lays maggots which suck blood from chicks, often killing the defenceless nestlings. Sarah Knutie, a PhD student in the department of Biology at the University of Utah, has found a clever way for the birds to defend themselves She provided cotton balls treated with a mild insecticide for the birds to find. The birds incorporated the cotton into their nests, and thus self-medicated against the insects.
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