Finch Pulling Cotton from Dispenser (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Finch Pulling Cotton from Dispenser

Caption

A finch in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands pulls a cotton ball from a dispenser set out by scientists. A University of Utah study showed that when the cotton is treated with permethrin -- a mild pesticide used in human head-louse shampoo -- and the birds use the cotton in their nests, blood-sucking fly maggots are killed, thereby protecting the finches and their offspring that often fall prey to the maggots.

Credit

Sarah Knutie, University of Utah

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