BIRDS that collect aromatic leaves for lining their nests are not just indulging in feng shui. It seems the plants kill off microbes that destroy proteins in their feathers.
Numerous bird species, including hummingbirds, collect specific aromatic leaves to line their nests. Often they leave their territories to locate the right greenery and replace the leaves daily. “They are going out of their way to find these plants,” says Nicole-Marie Cotton of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
Previous research showed that parents who bring the exotic decor into their nests raise more chicks, so it was suspected that the…
