7 ms·
Not an expert, but I do not think that you need an evolutionary explanation: birds are often not stupid, and can simply observe that nests with more cigarettes
by giomasce 9y ago
Not an expert, but I do not think that you need an evolutionary explanation: birds are often not stupid, and can simply observe that nests with more cigarettes have less parasites.
- observation 9y agoWe know they're capable of passing complex information onto each other. What "a bad man's face" looks like for instance, I'm sure some of HN has seen the documentaries on their abilities. I wonder if they choose nesting material based on insulation properties also. Cigarette stubs are probably great for stuffing into cracks and it is known that plugging air gaps dramatically increases whole house/nest insulation value.
- pygy_ 9y agoDo birds spend time observing the nest of their peers? AFAIK the only nests they care about are their own (though I'm definitely not an ornithologist, I'm mostly ignorant about them in general). But that's the beauty of Darwinism, whether the information is stored in the genes or in their culture (memetically) doesn't matter, the selection/amplification process is the same.
- erikpukinskis 9y agoSure. Birds die, other birds take over nest.