Those wild birds eat WHAT?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Alice Dunbar and team from the University of South Australia studied the role of foraging on wild birds’ gut health. Okay, we mean coprophagy: eatin’ poop. Ew.
But wait! Synthesizing previous studies on birds’ immune function and eating habits, the researchers linked this practice to a HEALTHY microbiome. In migratory birds, eating poop may help adjust to food source changes, and with absorbing nutrients. But aside from the ickiness, there’s risk to birds and their environments. Coprophagy can increase the chance of cross-species diseases, and transferring pesticides, and pollutants.
The team hopes their findings will motivate future research on this peculiar gastronomical habit.
Me, I think I’ll just stick to yogurt with Activia. Wait. Oh my God—what IS Activia?
Reference: Dunbar, A., Drigo, B., Djordjevic, S. P., Donner, E., & Hoye, B. J. (2023). Impacts of coprophagic foraging behaviour on the avian gut microbiome. Biological Reviews, 99(2), 582–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13036