Blog Post Image: Is Self-Fumigation for the Birds?

When University of Utah biologist Sarah Knutie saw finches like this pulling frayed fibers from a laundry line for use in building their nests, it made her wonder if the birds would collect cotton balls treated with mild pesticide as a way to wipe out parasitic nest fly larva that kill baby birds. So she did a study and showed the method works, holding promise for a new approach to saving threatened birds and perhaps mammals afflicted by parasites. Photo Credit: Sarah Knutie, University of Utah