Date: June 6, 2018
Source: North Carolina State University
Summary:
For European starlings (Sturnus
vulgaris), the presence of aromatic herbs in the nest leads to some improved
parenting behaviors, according to a new study. Specifically, birds whose nests
incorporate herbs along with dried grasses were more likely to attend their
nests, exhibited better incubation behavior for their eggs, and became active
earlier in the day.
For the study, researchers
replaced 36 natural starling nests in nest boxes with artificially made nests.
Each nest retained the female's clutch of eggs. Half of the artificial nests
included dry grass and a combination of herbs commonly found in starling nests.
The other half of the nests had only dry grass. The herbs included were yarrow,
or milfoil, (Achillea millefolium);
hogweed (Heracleum spondyleum); cow
parsley (Anthriscus silvestris); black elder (Sambucus niger); goutweed (Aegopodium
podagraria); and willow (Salix alba).
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