Chemoreception and the Selection of Green Plants as Nest Fumigants by Starlings

Defensive anointing: extended chemical phenotype and unorthodox ecology

“…Few consumers have been tested for responses to anointing tissues (Clayton & Vernon 1993;Clayton & Wolfe 1993), but observations that these materials contain noxious (Brodie 1977), insecticidal (Clayton & Vernon 1993;Baker 1996), anti-ectoparasitic (Clayton & Wolfe 1993), and/or antimicrobial compounds (Mason & Clark 1986;Petit et al 2002) are consistent with a defensive function hypothesized for their topical application. Nepetalactone, a cyclopentanoid monoterpene from the leaves of catnip (Nepeta cataria), is thought to repel mosquitoes (Peterson 2001), but it was first characterized as an elicitor of rubbing and rolling in felids (see Tucker & Tucker 1988).…”

“…Just as animals sequester compounds from select prey for their own defense, some species may depend upon sources of chemicals that can be acquired topically. Free-ranging birds, for example, use olfaction to select aromatic leaves for nest fumigation (Mason & Clark 1986;Petit et al 2002), a mechanism by which hatchlings presumably are protected against microbes and/or ectoparasites. The preferences birds display for particular leaves are thought to be related to the insecticidal or antibiotic phytochemicals they contain, thus underscoring the importance of the local availabilty of particular plants.…”