House finches avoid sick members of their own species, say scientists, in a finding that could be useful for tracking the spread of diseases like bird flu that also affects humans.
Laboratory tests showed that the house finch, a particularly social North American species (Carpodacus mexicanus), was able to tell the difference between sick and healthy fellow birds and tended to avoid those that were unwell.
This was the first time that avoidance of sick individuals, already observed in lobsters and bullfrog tadpoles, has been shown in birds
Via Dr. Stefan Gruenwald
Your new post is loading...
