Wagga birds are on the ball

["Philip Veerman" <>]

OK, John,

 

If some birds decorate their nests with snakeskin in order to deter avian nest predators, that is something that may be true but such things are hard for us to be confident of a reason. There are lots of possible reasons and it is as hard to decide why, as with the birds that use caterpillar skins in their nest (Crested Bellbird according to Beruldsen's book), why Diamond Firetails use flowers and why Magpies use wire. There could be or have been some sexual selection operating as to the ingenuity of nest builders.

 

Your new message raised something in my memory of a picture of a snake and bird nest in USA. However after I found the picture I was thinking of (by Audubon), it turns out to be of Mockingbirds agitated about a whole live rattlesnake curled around the base of a nest. So what I thought might be relevant (about shed snake skin), actually is not.

 

Philip