To test for the ability to recognize conspecific eggs, Herbert Hoi and colleagues at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna introduced both real eggs and cardboard models into the nests of tree sparrows. (sciencedaily.com)
Learning the common voice probably allows the gang to announce «that they represent a formidable competitive force,» say the authors, whose study will appear in Ethology later this year. (sciencemag.org)
The study «adds to the mounting evidence that many pesticides and other chemical pollutants in our environment have harmful effects on mammalian behavior as well as physiology and development,» says biologist Sarah Zala of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology in Vienna, Austria. (sciencemag.org)