FW: [BIRDCHAT] Deadly Eucalyptus

[Barb Beck]

Hi,

The messages below is from Joseph Morland and mentions Stallcup.  For those
of you who live in flutterby land exclusively they are two well respected
California birders.

You may have a place where Monarch can spend the winter (if that is indeed
the critical part of their life cycle for survival) but what about the
degradation of the habitat for other species including butterflies whose
host plants cannot grow under these things.  Monarch naturally overwinter
quite well and still do in some of the Monterey Pines.  California does not
need more of its precious wildlife habitat overrun by these smelly exotics.

Barb Beck
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada


-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Joseph Morlan
Sent: January 5, 2002 6:53 AM
To: BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Deadly Eucalyptus


The January 2002 issue of Audubon Magazine's "Incite" section deals
with eucalyptus in the U.S., the environmental damage it causes, and
how warblers and other birds die when their nares get clogged by
eucalyptus sap. The full article is online at:

http://magazine.audubon.org/incite/incite0201.html

This phenomenon has been reported previously, but without data, in an
article written by Stallcup for the PRBO Newsletter online at:

http://www.prbo.org/OBSERVER/Observer108/Focus108.2.html

There Stallcup describes a dead Ruby-crowned Kinglet which has
suffocated because its nostrils have been sealed by eucalyptus gum.

I have a couple of questions about Stallcup's hypothesis.

Are birds with closed nostrils unable to breathe?  Some birds like
boobies have nostrils naturally fused shut but seem to be able to
function well.  Can't they breathe through their mouths?

What other animals besides birds suffocate when their nostrils are
plugged?

Have other people found dead birds which died because their nostrils
get clogged and how was the cause of death determined?

Just wondering about this.

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044: mailto:jmorlan at ccsf.org
California Birding, mystery birds: http://fog.ccsf.org/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

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