The birds have to work quite hard to wipe the sticky seed off on a branch -
very funny to watch. I also once watched a Striped Honeyeater which has been
eating mistletoe berries and had just passed the seeds out of its cloaca,
the seeds hanging in a long sticky thread, and was looking at this
phenomemon with great concern! It eventually managed to peck off the sticky
mass and wipe it on a branch.
> "The muscular stomach or gizzard present in most birds has, in the
> Mistletoe-bird, practically disappeared and the whole digestive system has
> become an even duct enabling the large numbers of mistletoe-berries to
pass
> quickly through the bird. Experiments have shown that mistletoe berries
may
> be consumed and the seeds voided by a Mistletoe-bird within twenty-five
> minutes. The seeds of mistletoe berries when voided are not harmed and
are
> very sticky. If lodged on the branch of a suitable tree they remain there
> and usually germinate."
>
> "Within twenty-five minutes"? Sounds like chronic diarrhoea.
>
> And why does the sticky seed stick to the branch rather than the feather
> fringed cloaca of the bird? Dean? Carol? Anyone?
>
> [You are sure which end of the bird you saw being wiped on the branch,
> Carol? :-) Yes, I see you are. Who can blame the bird for not
> swallowing!]
>
> Syd
>
> PS. Thinking in terms of relative size - seed and bird - I reckon that an
> equivalent for humans would be mango seeds. Not swallowing is much the
> wiser!
>
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