Bird droppings defy expectations

Date:  September 24, 2019

Source:  University of Texas at Austin

For every question about bird poop, uric acid appears to be the answer.

Why are bird droppings so hard to remove from buildings? Uric acid.

Why are they white and pasty? Uric acid.

Why are they corrosive to car paint and metal structures? Uric acid.

These answers are based on the prevailing wisdom that ranks uric acid as the primary ingredient in bird "poop," which is comprised mostly of urine. (Birds release both solid and liquid waste at the same time. The white substance is the urine).

But according to Nick Crouch, a scientist at The University of Texas at Austin, uric acid can't be the answer. That's because there is no uric acid in excreted bird urine.

And after analyzing the excretions from six different bird species -- from the Great Horned Owl to the humble chicken -- he's pretty positive of that statement.

"It was easy to tell that what we had and that it was not uric acid," Crouch said.

The results were published in the Journal of Ornithology in August 2019. The study's co-authors are Julia Clarke, a professor at the Jackson School of Geosciences, where Crouch is currently a postdoctoral researcher, and Vincent Lynch a chemist and research scientist at the UT College of Natural Science.

Crouch studies bird evolution and biodiversity -- the chemistry of bird waste is not his usual research wheelhouse. However, Crouch decided to investigate the uric acid question after a conversation in 2018 with the late Jackson School Professor Bob Folk, who claimed that bird waste didn't contain uric acid.

"Sometimes you just get presented with a really weird question and you want to know the answer," Crouch said. "That was this -- I had no idea if [Folk] was right or wrong beforehand, but I was really interested to have a look."

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Ancient moas may have furthered the spread of beech forests by eating mushrooms.

Jamie Wood

Fossil poop reveals critical role of giant birds in New Zealand’s ecosystem

By Elizabeth PennisiFeb. 12, 2018 , 3:00 PM

When the first humans landed on what is now known as New Zealand 700 years ago, they didn’t find mammals. Instead, they discovered giant birds called moas, as well as a host of other indigenous bird species. Soon, they had eaten many of them into extinction.

Now, by deciphering ancient DNA found in fossilized bird droppings, researchers have a better idea of the toll those extinctions took on New Zealand’s forests and shrublands. The study shows that mushrooms and other fungi were important to the extinct birds’ diets, and suggests moas had a strong hand in shaping New Zealand’s native landscape by helping fungi spread, says co-author Alan Cooper, an ancient DNA specialist at The University of Adelaide in Australia. Now that the moas are gone, “The forest has potentially lost a potentially major way to spread.”

“This paper is a clear example of the great potential of ancient DNA-based techniques,” says Melania Cristescu, an ecological geneticist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who was not involved in the work. Cristescu says she was surprised by how much information the DNA contained. “The authors were able to identify a wide variety of species and to reconstruct the ecology of an extinct species.”

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Bird droppings cause problems for Daytona Beach swimmers

By Saul Saenz, Volusia County Reporter

Last Updated: Thursday, January 01, 2015, 6:38 PM

DAYTONA BEACH -- 

Some Volusia County beaches have high levels of bacteria which can make swimmers sick. An advisory issued Wednesday deemed the water at several beaches off Daytona Beach unfit to swim in.

Despite the advisory, supporters of our nation's veterans took a polar plunge in 65 degree waters Wednesday.

Not far away, seagulls and other birds are dropping waste along their migratory pattern, which cause unsafe levels of enterococci bacteria.

"I wouldn't let my son go in today," said concerned parent Jason Mahle.

"There's a bunch of bacteria in it. I wouldn't wanna jump in there cause you could get sick and all that," added his son, Owen Mahle.

Florida Health Department workers in Volusia County said that bacteria from the bird's droppings can cause gastrointestinal illness, upper respiratory infections, or skin infections if open wounds or sores exist.

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Bird droppings can be mosquito busters!

IANS | Bangalore 

July 22, 2014 Last Updated at 15:10 IST

Read more on: Bird Droppings Can Be Mosquito Busters!

Don't get upset if birds mess up your courtyard or your home garden with their dropppings. These winged creatures may actually be helping to protect you and your family from dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Researchers at the Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) in Pondicherry have discovered that bird droppings contain certain bacteria that kill mosquitoes. They say they are now working to develop a formulation based on bird droppings for mosquito control.

"Mosquitocidal bacteria are environmental friendly alternatives to chemical insecticides," says their report published in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. "Therefore, there have been efforts worldwide to identify such bacteria from the natural environment," the report says.

Because wild birds consume food from a variety of environmental sources like soil, water, fruits and decaying animals, VCRC scientists decided to look for potential mosquito killing bacteria in the bird droppings.

read more

Birds being poisoned in a Nebraska city

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Officials have poisoned hundreds of starlings in the south-central Nebraska city of Grand Island, hoping to reduce the health threats posed by the bird droppings.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the toxic chemical being used won't affect people, other animals or any other birds.

Residents are urged to use gloves or shovels when picking up and disposing of the bird carcasses.

The city began poisoning starlings back in 2005.

Health officials say starlings can spread salmonella, E. coli and West Nile and can perpetuate a fungus soil known as histoplasmosis.

Information from: The Grand Island Independent, http://www.theindependent.com

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Birds-being-poisoned-in-a-Nebraska-city-4092864.php#ixzz2EHXJRqTe

Light and sound used against Rome's birds

TIRED of bird droppings on the city's most famous monuments, local authorities in Rome are resorting to unusual measures to try and scare off a million starlings that migrate to the Eternal City every year.

Armed with loudspeakers and light projectors, workers dressed in white overalls and masks have been seen walking around at sunset along the tree-lined embankments of the Tiber River where starlings tend to congregate.

The loudspeakers blast out shrieks of alarm used by the starlings and the projectors are shone into the trees to scare off the birds.

"Their reaction is immediate," city hall said in a statement on Friday.

"The starlings abandon the area and get as far away as possible from the area, which they consider dangerous," it said, adding that the method "respects the environment and the birds and does not create a nuisance for residents".

The sound-and-light attacks last around an hour and are always carried out at dusk for three days in a row to ensure the desired effect.

Rome has the highest number of starlings in Italy - around a million are estimated to migrate there every autumn and winter.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/light-and-sound-used-against-romes-birds/story-fn3dxix6-1226518643665

Restaurant Faces $2000 Fine for Washing Away Bird Poop

A restaurant owner in Corpus Christi, Texas is furious after city officials threatened him with a $2,000 fine for using a garden hose to wash away bird droppings on the sidewalk in front of his business.

“They told me I can’t wash it off because I’m polluting,” said John Webb, general manager of Crawdaddy’s, a family-owned restaurant in downtown. “It’s like they want me to go out of business.”

Webb told Fox News that his troubles began a few days ago when a city official showed up and demanded he stop washing away the bird droppings. The restaurant is just a few blocks from the waterfront on a dead-end street.

“For the last 18 years we’ve just been washing it off with a water hose,” he said. “But a guy from the city came out here and told me if I washed my sidewalk off again I was going to get a fine.”

Continued: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/restaurant-faces-2000-fine-for-washing-away-bird-poop.html