Beetle bait

Science World, Jan 24, 2005 by Britt Norlander

Burrowing owls use stinky decorations around their underground nests: other animal's dung. A new study shows that the owls, Athene cunicularia (ah-THEE-nee CYOON-ihcuh-LAIR-ee-ah), gather the waste to attract dung beetles--a favorite snack.

Douglas Levey, a zoologist (scientist who studies animals) at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and colleagues removed dung from some owls' nests. Then, they compared the diets of those owls to owls with dung-furnished lawns. Result: Owls with dung decorations averaged 10 times as many dung-beetle meals.

The owls probably began using dung for other reasons, perhaps to mask the scent of young birds from predators. "Collecting beetles is just the icing on the cake," says Levey.

FRONT PORCH: Owls spread dung near their nests' entrances.

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