[TN-Bird] A New Report of Tool Use by Birds - Burrowing Owls
- From: "Charles P. Nicholson" <cpnichol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-Bird Listserve" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2004 18:18:54 -0400
From the current issue of the journal Nature:
Nature 431, 39 (02 September 2004); doi:10.1038/431039a
<>
Animal behaviour: Use of dung as a tool by burrowing owls
DOUGLAS J. LEVEY*, R. SCOT DUNCAN? & CARRIE F. LEVINS?
* Department of Zoology, PO Box 118525, University of Florida, Gainesville,
Florida 32611-8525 USA
? Division of Science and Mathematics, Birmingham-Southern College, Box
549022, Birmingham, Alabama 35254, USA
? 107 North El Centro Boulevard, Panama City Beach, Florida 32413, USA
Reports of tool usage by birds tend to be anecdotal as only a few
individuals may be involved and the behaviour observed can often be
interpreted in other ways. Here we describe the widespread collection of
mammalian dung by burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) and show that they use
this dung as a bait to attract dung beetles, a major item of prey. Our
controlled investigation provides an unambiguous estimate of the importance
of tool use in a wild animal.
Chuck Nicholson
Norris, TN
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