Slashdot Mirror
Drunken Parrots Falling From Sky
An anonymous reader writes "Parrots intoxicated by a mystery substance are dropping out of the sky near Darwin, Australia. From the article: 'It seems that the birds get intoxicated by something they have eaten and it renders them unable to fly and function ... they can get very sick as a result.' Around eight to ten birds a day have been brought to the hospital after falling to the ground in backyards and along roadsides. A total of 40 lorikeets are now receiving treatment."
No one? Really?
Ah well then:
"He's not drunk; he's pining for the fjords!"
So that is why the rum is gone...
Birds and animals love fermented berries and fruits.
In my parents' yard, there used to be this berry bush. I can't tell you what it was, but the flowers were always pretty and the berries inedible (for humans) and sometimes the yard would have drunken birds from the overripe berries.
Not news. Interesting, but not news.
--
BMO
Given how brightly colored those birds are, the hangover is going to be murder. And the screeching of the other lorikeets ain't gonna help.
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
The birds have caught Darwinism.
...in Darwin.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
He's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Red-collared Lorikeets, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
Snails on meth, Parrots on the bottle, I'm waiting to hear about Lions on crack,
I've seen flocks of Currawongs absolutely smashed on fruit that's fallen to the ground and fermented in the sun. Flat on their backs, wings spread, beaks open, going "gaaaaaahhhhh". Hilarious.
And this "matters" to us "nerds" how? WTF is up with slashdot lately?
Reminds me of this: http://www.theonion.com/video/breaking-news-some-bullshit-happening-somewhere,16928/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy_TB6onHVE
A national news story about local Kereru ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Pigeon ) being drunk, and flying low over roads.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Motorists-warned-to-be-wary-of-low-flying-kereru/tabid/423/articleID/155234/Default.aspx
Birds get drunk everywhere. I suppose it is an interesting story though, I covered the Kereru on my Animal Rights podcast. http://coexistingwithnonhumananimals.blogspot.com/2010/05/episode-27-drunk-kereru-and-humane-calf.html
---
I've seen lorikeets often get drunk on fermented eucalyptus nectar - their normal food - on a hot day. Typical, normal behaviour - they love alcohol.
What a pack of Drunken Galahs, Mate!
Avocados create around %10 D-mannoheptulose when they do photosynthesis.
I learned this studying plant tissue culture for Avocados around 30 years ago. This compound is a 7 carbon sugar that was said to cause instant diabetes in mammals although I think, not sure, now it is considered to simply metabolize much more slowly then glucose and fructose, the two sugars that make up common table sugar, sucrose.
In the avocado D-mannoheptulose metabolizes into perseitol, which is an alcohol, avocado fruit do not have any of either when they ripen but they can have quite a bit while they are green. My little dog, when I was a boy would eat the hard green avocados in the family’s orchards quite often you could see his teeth marks in the hard green flesh.
The life cycle of the avocado occurs on tropical mountain slopes and so the fruit with its seed would be carried by birds from the trees to their nests high up on top of the mountain, that is if they don't drop it along the way.
I have long thought/speculated that perhaps the purpose of the perseitol was for it to cause the birds to become drunk, nibbling on the flesh as they fly, so that they would drop the fruit thus spreading avocados up the sides of mountains so that they can find their perfect climate and soil conditions. I understand that sulfur springs are not uncommon in tropical highlands.
And the climate changes rapidly as altitude is increased, avocados are sub-tropical which often grow in topical latitudes, so finding the ideal microclimate is important.
Also, the young small brown leaves in their tips contain large amounts of the 7-carbon sugar and alcohol.
Are there any new avocado plantings where the birds live and what has happened to their habitat to cause them to switch to eating avocados?
Avocados create around %10 D-mannoheptulose when they do photosynthesis. I learned this studying plant tissue culture for Avocados around 30 years ago. This compound is a 7 carbon sugar that was said to cause instant diabetes in mammals although I think, not sure, now it is considered to simply metabolize much more slowly then glucose and fructose, the two sugars that make up common table sugar, sucrose. In the avocado D-mannoheptulose metabolizes into perseitol, which is an alcohol, avocado fruit do not have any of either when they ripen but they can have quite a bit while they are green. My little dog, when I was a boy would eat the hard green avocados in the family’s orchards quite often you could see his teeth marks in the hard green flesh. The life cycle of the avocado occurs on tropical mountain slopes and so the fruit with its seed would be carried by birds from the trees to their nests high up on top of the mountain, that is if they don't drop it along the way. I have long thought/speculated that perhaps the purpose of the perseitol was for it to cause the birds to become drunk, nibbling on the flesh as they fly, so that they would drop the fruit thus spreading avocados up the sides of mountains so that they can find their perfect climate and soil conditions. I understand that sulfur springs are not uncommon in tropical highlands. And the climate changes rapidly as altitude is increased, avocados are sub-tropical which often grow in topical latitudes, so finding the ideal microclimate is important. Also, the young small brown leaves in their tips contain large amounts of the 7-carbon sugar and alcohol. Are there any new avocado plantings where the birds live and what has happened to their habitat to cause them to switch to eating avocados?