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Mistletoe bird
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The mistletoe bird survives mostly on the berries of mistletoe plants they follow wherever the plant grows. Mistletoe seeds, for their part, can't germinate unless they pass through the bird's digestive tract. They rely too on what the birds do with the seeds after partially digesting them.
The mistletoe bird's intestinal tract is specialized so that it passes mistletoe seeds within twenty-five minutes of eating the berries. When the bird excretes a seed, it comes out with a sticky, viscous coating. In order to clean the seed off of its rump, the bird rubs itself against tree branches in a unique fashion some scientists have dubbed its waggle-dance.
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that can germinate only on the branches of other plants, so the bird's waggle-dance, in effect, glues mistletoe seeds exactly where they need to be. In a matter of days, a deposited seed will begin to probe its roots into the host plant's tissue, so that it can access the water and minerals it needs to grow. |
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- fthsm
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 146 W: 50 N: 439]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(2624) - [2007-09-26 3:14]
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Nice bird, a bit blurred image. TFS Jon.
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- pirate
(3039)
- [2007-09-26 4:54]
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Hi Jon
or you are an expert in Photoshop or you have beautifull birds down under!
looks a bit unsharp but great colours
tom
A beautiful bird, alittle soft in focus but gorgeous all the same. The notes are fascinating, amazing how specialized.
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 261 W: 0 N: 520]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 59 W: 0 N: 16]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-s.gif)
(56)