Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
to be diluted in huge quantities of water because when concentrated it precipitates into a
chalky, whitish substance.
Q Do birds poop in flight?
A
Birds tend to poop right before or during takeoff, and it takes a few minutes to build
up another supply, so on short flights, no, they don't. But on flights that last longer than a
few minutes, yes, they can and do poop in the air. Normally if they're fairly high up and
going fairly fast, the poop atomizes long before it reaches the ground.
WATCH OUT FOR BIRD POOP
A few birds that drink huge quantities of water,
such as hummingbirds, can pro-
duceureaasadults.Hummingbirddroppingsareusuallydropletsofclearliquidwithtiny
particles of fecal matter suspended within. Captive hummingbirds fed nothing but sugar
water can't survive for long, but while they do, they produce urine with little or no poop.
Seabirds, cormorants, gulls, and other birds that take in a lot of water with their fishy
dietsdon'tproduceurea,buttheydoreleaselargeamountsofuricacidcomparedtofecal
matter. Those big white splats can be valuable; where these birds collect in large num-
bers,this
guano
canbecollectedfornitrogen-andphosphorus-richfertilizers.Geeseeat-
ing huge amounts ofgrasses produce smaller quantities ofurine than fecal matter (which
is mostly the indigestible cell walls of those grasses, hence its color and consistency).
The Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and American Bittern have long been
nicknamed “shite-pokes.” Apparently when the term was first used in the 1770s, the
word “shite” meant the exact same thing as a more common term used today, but it was
a perfectly respectable way of referring to these birds' habit of shooting out a noticeable
stream of poop on takeoff.
Facts about Feet
Q Every time I've ever seen an owl, in real life or in a photo, it had only two front
toes. But last week I found a dead owl on the road, and it had three front toes. Was
it a mutant?
