Similar Links:
- http://zeenews.india.com/news/science/female-sparrows-lay-more-eggs-when-males-fill-nest-with-more-feathers_847242.html
- http://news.yahoo.com/female-sparrows-lay-more-eggs-males-fill-nest-063635461.html
A team from University of Granada found that female sparrows will lay more eggs if the male can fill the nest with feathers to insulate the chicks from the cold and keep them alive."We conducted an experiment with two types of treatments and a control group. In total, we observed the behavior of 50 pairs of sparrows," Lola García López de Hierro, the main researcher, said. "They [feathers] provide excellent insulation and the females know that less chicks will die if the male brings more feathers," the expert stated. The scientist added feathers to nests and took feathers away from other. They were able to conclude that the more feathers in the nest, the more eggs the sparrows laid. In the nests with less feathers, the scientist noticed the females calling the males over who then returned with more feather; almost as if they were bossing the males around. Also ninety per cent of sparrows mate for life.
NOS:
- Science is collaborative
- Role of chance
- Role of curiosity
Hi Marla. I think this was a good article to pick for spring because birds come out in the springtime. I also think that the ideas in the article have direct ties to evolution. Since fitness is defined as being able to leave behind a large amount of viable offspring, the birds with more feathers will leave behind more kid birds with more feathers. I wouldn't be surprised if one day, birds everywhere had more feathers!!
ReplyDeleteMarla, this is very interesting. I would have never thought about birds using feathers in their nests. I always thoguht birds used sticks in thier nests. It's cool to examine the different behaviors of animals.
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