Cigarettes- bug even the bugs

Nesting city birds show it's not ifs but butts - The Irish Times - Wed, Dec 05, 2012: "Common wild birds such as urban house sparrows and finches have found a new use for an annoying source of litter. Some have started shredding cigarette butts into their nests as a way to repel biting insects.

Researchers from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México studied birds nesting on the university campus.

Almost 90 per cent of the 60 nests checked had cellulose cigarette butt material spread through them, and the team led by Dr Constantino Macías García believes the birds did this intentionally.

Volatile compounds

Biting bugs hiding in birds’ nests can play havoc, weakening the parents and reducing chick survival. For this reason many bird species living away from cities have an evolved behaviour to protect themselves."

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