PARROTS USE TOOLS TO GRIND
A captive population of greater vasa parrots at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park has been observed holding pebbles and date stones in the beak to grind calciumrich dust from seashells.
It’s the first record of any nonhuman animal using grinding technology. The parrots, which are native to Madagascar, may use the tools to protect their beaks from wear and tear.
The behaviour is most frequent just before the breeding season, when females require calcium to build their eggshells. During this period, their mates provision them with regurgitated food, which might help explain why the males seem to be the most enthusiastic grinders. Some plants might be more resilient to shifts in pollinator availability than we thought. A study of three South American petunias reveals that changes to a single gene determine whether a flower attracts bees, hummingbirds or hawkmoths.
Petunia inflata’s purple flowers are pollinated only by bees, P. axillaris has white flowers that attract nocturnal hawkmoths, and the bright red flowers of P. exserta appeal to hummingbirds.
The three species differ in the degree to which their flowers absorb ultraviolet light, which is determined by mutations in the gene MYB-FL.
Cris Kuhlemeier of the University of Bern, Switzerland, who led the research, said that in principle the simple genetics means faster adaptation. But he added, “I can’t imagine how that will solve the problem of honeybee-colony collapse.” This is the name given to species characteristic of a particular habitat or certain environmental conditions. The presence of wood anemone or dog’s mercury, for instance, is a good indication of an ancient woodland – that is, one that has existed since before 1600. The presence or absence of certain species may also be indicative of the health of a habitat – for example bloodworms (midge larvae) are characteristic of polluted streams, while mayfly nymphs require clean water.