60秒科学:Finches Seek Out Sick Dining Companions
Finches Seek Out Sick Dining Companions
A study in the journal Biology Letters finds that male finches prefer dining next to a sick bird despite the risk of infection, probably because the lethargic 2 companion is less likely to engage in food fights. Karen Hopkin reports
When you’re looking for a table in a crowded cafeteria, you probably give wide berth 3 to the family that sounds like it’s sharing a big dish of whooping 4 cough. Well, not if you’re a house finch 1, particularly a male. Because a study in the journal Biology Letters [by Karen M. Bouwman and Dana M. Hawley at Virginia Tech; see http://bit.ly/afHGw7] shows that male finches actually prefer feeding near males who are visibly ill.
Finches don’t get whooping cough. But they are susceptible 5 to infection with something called Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a bug 6 that leaves them lethargic and sporting a bad case of conjunctivitis, otherwise known as pinkeye. The disease is quite contagious 7 and can be passed from one finch to another while dining beak 8-to-beak. All the more reason, you’d think, for healthy birds to avoid sitting next to someone with crusty red peepers. Yet male house finches, when given a choice, opt 9 to break breadcrumbs with males who are obviously under the weather.
Why risk catching 10 a nasty infection when all you really want to catch is a quick bite? Because males infected with Mycoplasma tend to be less aggressive. So eating with the infirm means you’re more likely to wind up with seed in your beak than a beak in your eye.
- This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
- In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚，它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。
- He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采，完全没有心思穿衣整装。
- The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。
- She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
- They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。
- Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
- Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？
- Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
- We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。
- There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
- The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
- It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
- He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。
- The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
- This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
- They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
- Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？