Wow!!! Smart birds

5 stars and a

The nicotine works as a natural repellant, but it's just a coincidence that the birds use the material (cigarette butts) in their nests. They use all kinds of other things too, which have no benefit, other than being light, easy to carry, and take up space.

Hahaha and sheeple pay up to 8-9 bucks a pack to suck that poison smoke into their lungs

Hmmm...

I'll break down my butts and fluff them up for the birds to use next spring.

I hate seeing mites all over nests when I clean out the boxes.

This just mite be a good thing.

You're the sheeple if you really believe anything you said there.

Bird is the word!

You're not serious are you? Are you saying all the chmical preservatives and , tar , methane in ciggarettes are good for you ? hahahaha oh god .... this place is always great for laughs. Just when you think you've heard it all. Although I could be wrong on how much sheeple pay for the smokes. Thats definitely possible.

I guess that is why birds specifically in my experience house sparrows, would gather fallen tobacco leaves along with discarded dog fur (for nest warmth) that I put out for them. Tobacco plants serve as insect repellant along with tobacco usage and hummingbirds thrive on the nectar from the flowers.

There's organic tobacco, and was a rime of pure tobacco. Its what made America great at a time. Are atleast a part of the great.

It's just a coincidence that the "butts" kill parasites...the birds are using any available material available as they have always done...

Yeah, because YOU know more than the SCIENTISTS studying their nests....

They are using them as a "pesticide". No animal is going to make their home from a product that smells like cigarette butts cause they are light and easy... I smoke, and I can't even handle the stench of an astray. It'd be curious if the birds are taking a liking to a specific brand.

Wow! What a nice discovery!

Was on GLP 4 days ago with video: Thread: Urban birds have learned to use a cigarette butts to smoke out parasites (VIDEO)

evolution at work here. i bet sparrows that are better at building nests with the correct twig/cig ratio will become much more prevalent.

the only possible downside is if a significant portion of their gene pool rely on nicotine to ward of pests AND for some reason their was a regional shortage due to law or economics that made cigarettes unavailable. if the bird's survival was symbiotic it will likely lead to an ELE

that is definitely a possibility. if that is the case I wonder how we can test it to see which case is valid.

if they are doing it by coincidence, can't evolution use coincidence to determine who will survive?

very interesting ...

Birds are fucking smart man. Some Ravens have shown problem solving abilities at near Ape levels.

Natural Pesticides
Tobacco or Nicotine Spray:
This mixture is great for combating many different types of bugs;
especially caterpillars, aphids, and many types of worms.
1 cup of tobacco
1 gallon of water
3 tablespoons of liquid dish soap
Mix tobacco and water in container. Allow mixture to set for approximately 24 hours, then check the color. It should be the color of weak tea. If it is too light, allow to sit longer, if it is too dark, dilute with more water. Add the liquid soap to the mixture, and spray on plants.
Warning: Don't use this solution on peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, or any other member of the solanaceous family. Tobacco chemicals can kill these types of plants!
[link to www.thctalk.com]

Insect Spray Warnings And Alternatives
These alternatives are those that are made from organic components. There are some that are made from natural blend of plant extracts and oils. Others are either alcohol based or made from hot spices to repel insects. Most may not be aware but nicotine can also be used as insect repellant because it is extremely toxic to these harmful pests. And nicotine as insecticide has been widely used since 1880s. Miracle II is reported as effective on insect cleanup
[link to www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com]

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs
Nicotine. Shred a pack of cigarettes and let it steep in a gallon of warm water over night, strain it through several layers of cheese cloth, and add two tablespoons of dish washing detergent to the mix, and spray that on the bugs and it will kill them for sure. (Wear gloves when handling the nicotine water; you don’t want to poison yourself with too much nicotine absorbing through your skin.) The detergent will break down along with the nicotine. The detergent lessens the surface tension of the water, making it coat the bugs well, and the nicotine poisons them. Both decompose after a while.
[link to www.stinkbugs.org]

they real smart ones use weed butts

Iv'e also seen a video of scientist studying why these seagulls were rubbing cigarette buts on their feathers they concluded it was to remove parasites. There is also a study regarding why WWI/WWII soldiers that were in the trenches that smoked never got sick or were infected by parasites.

Birds are keen observers of activity and in many ways better at understanding cause and effect then we are. I'm not saying they are going to invent a cyclotron anytime soon but when it comes down to what is effective they are uncanny in their ability to figure out what works.

It's a bird thing. They are the "sport models" of animals.

Finally good to know that smokers can contribute positively to the environment. Good argument for when others bitch about the butts.

But seriously, tobacco and it's by products are good parasite killers in wild animals. Elk, deer, etc. also chew on discarded cigarette butts to try and deworm. Look it up.

They can also navigate to the moon though it's not fully understood how they gain the momentum to break free of Earths orbit.

menthol or non-menthol?

Best bird ever? Tuffed Titmouse.

The ones that use my feeder pretty much sit in trees waiting for me to refill the damn thing. When I walk out to the feeder they fly to the tree the feeder hangs from and just wait.

Birds are more intelligent than people give them credit for. They will cock their head, stare at you with one eye, and imprint an image of you into their brain. Once you see that look, you pretty much have a friend for life. It's pretty amusing.

As for the cigarette butt thing, maybe it's the 50th titmouse syndrome. Or perhaps the birds that use the cigarette butts have a higher chick survival rate, so the little ones grow up and incorporate the butts into their nest, because that's how they grew up. Not sure they reasoned out that nicotine is an antimite ointment...

Anyways, even bird scientists need funding!

WOw, that is pretty amazing, if true OP. I would not doubt. I watch the birds by the feeder and they do some amazing things. They certainly seem aware, in a state we could only dream of again obtaining:

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

YES! The small Tits indeed wait around, signing songs, wanting to be fed. The Merel is really the most amazing though - they sometimes almost eat out of our hands!