2023-07-10 11:16:04
A zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) manipulating nest material. – SHOKO SUGASAWA
MADRID, 10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The material that a bird selects for its nest depends on the dimensions of its beak, according to a study based in almost 6,000 species of birds from the Universities of Bristol and St. Andrews.
The research used random forest models, a type of machine learning algorithm, to take data from the birds’ beaks and try to predict the materials that species might use for nesting.
They found a surprisingly strong correlation. Using only information on bill shape and size, they were able to correctly predict extensive nest material use in 60% of species, reaching 97% in some cases.
These findings, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, include a careful exploration of these models, investigating the ecological and evolutionary context behind these relationships. For example, not all species have the same access to all types of nest materials, which also affects these results.
The study’s lead author, Dr Catherine Sheard from Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, said it’s a statement: “We know a lot about primate hands, but not so much about how other animals use their limbs and mouths to manipulate objects. We are very excited about the potential applications of our findings, to further explore how beak shape may have evolved in conjunction with other aspects of nest building or other functions”.
Dr Shoko Sugasawa, lead author of the study, based at the University of St Andrews, added: “Most animals, including birds, don’t have hands like ours, but handling objects like nest material and food is a crucial part of their lives.Our finding is the first step in revealing possible interactions between beak evolution and manipulation such as nest building, and helps us better understand how animals evolved to interact with the world with or without hands“.
The team is now working on a project documenting anthropogenic nest material in the world’s birds, trying to understand what kinds of birds put human-made material (such as plastic, wire, or cigarette butts) in their nests. In particular, they are looking to see if this would be related to the birds that inhabit cities.
“I’m also interested in how bill shape relates to other nest properties, including overall nest structure,” added Dr Sheard, “as if birds build nests with walls or a roof”.
#shape #beak #material #birds #nests