Beacon Transcript

Information which Matters to You

Monday, March 1, 2021
Log in
  • National News
  • National News
  • Business
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Technology
  • Health
  • Health
  • Science
  • Science
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Authors & Contributors
    • Privacy Policy GDPR

Recent Articles

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

Ancient Babylonian Clay Tablet Holds the First Trigonometric Table

August 26, 2017 By Clayton Meason

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

The CDC Draws Attention To The Spike In Cyclosporiasis Cases

August 11, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

Travis Kalanick Resigns from His Position as Uber’s CEO

June 22, 2017 By Troy G. Bennett

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

Amazon Refunds Parents Whose Children Made Purchases Without Permission

June 2, 2017 By Clayton Meason

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

McDonald’s Has Been Quietly Altering Its Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

May 21, 2017 By Jennifer Licata

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

Washington Post Will Be Expanding Its Newsroom

December 28, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

Parrots Use Tools to Make Calcium

December 16, 2015 By Clayton Meason

Email, RSS Follow
"vasa parrot makes calcium"

Vasa parrots use pebbles to make themselves calcium nutrients

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – The animal world doesn’t seem to stop amazing us with new things every day and birds are especially surprising as we found out that parrots use tools to make calcium.

Every species of bird has its way of feeding, whether it is by hunting down their pray or simply looking for a yummy worm. They manage to take from nature everything they need in order to maintain themselves fed and healthy, and they often do it in the most inventive ways.

Scientists have recently discovered, while studying a captive population of vasa parrots, that these birds use tools to help them create their own calcium powder. They are basically making a nutritional supplement in order to satisfy their needs.

Although the researchers didn’t have the opportunity to see when and how this ‘occupation’ started, according to their knowledge of these birds behavior, they assumed that they simply copied each other. More exactly, the vasa parrots have a certain social system in which they share tools so it is most likely that one of the birds started using pebbles to make calcium and the others simply followed.

What they do is that they use the pebbles to break apart the shells and after that they grind the shells into a very fine powder which they consume. Although they are known for nibbling shells, parrots usually do this with their beaks. Using pebbles might be a way of preserving their beaks from scraping or wearing off.

The reason these birds are interested in the shells and the calcium they get from them is that unlike mammals, they cannot store much calcium so they may need supplements especially before and during the breeding season. The calcium helps them form their eggshells, which could not develop without this substance. Therefore, in this period they need calcium for them as well as for their future ‘babies’.

The fact that such a habit of using tools to create nutrients was observed among these particular birds does not necessarily come as a surprise, because vasa parrots are extremely sociable and tolerable which makes it easier for them to cohabitate and learn from each other.

Image source: www.mascotarios.org

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science

Recent Posts

  • Security Guard List As Suspect in 1974 Stanford University Chapel Slaying Kills Himself June 29, 2018
  • Texas Teens Arrested After Decomposing Body of Elderly Woman Found in Garage June 28, 2018
  • Montana Woman in Custody After Forcing Ex to Have Sex with Her June 27, 2018
  • Newly Released Audio Transcript Proves Monalisa Perez Objected to Deadly YouTube Prank June 26, 2018
  • Virginia Woman Shoots New Zealand Man Who Smashed Glass Door with Brick   June 26, 2018
  • Arizona Woman Lied About Kidnapping to Cover Boyfriend’s Slaying June 25, 2018
  • Brooklyn Man Arrested in Niagara Falls Allegedly Chopped off Pregnant Wife’s Arms with Steak Knife June 25, 2018

Related Articles

  • jupiter with the biggest moon of jupiter, ganymede, in front, a satellite, and three moons

    Ganymede, the Biggest Moon of Jupiter, is Revealing New Data (Study)

    May 8, 2018
  • segment of the bayeux tapestry which includes halley's comet

    Medieval Tapestries and Old Scrolls to Offer Proof of the Existence of Planet Nine?

    May 7, 2018
  • stars and galaxies in the universe

    Large-Scale Map of the Universe Reveals Thousands of Early Galaxies (Study)

    Apr 10, 2018
  • landscape view of the milky way and a space observatory

    The Milky Way Might be Getting Bigger, Believes a New Study

    Apr 5, 2018
  • NASA’s Odyssey Captures New Images of Phobos and Deimos, the Moons of Mars

    Feb 27, 2018
  • old book of shakespeare plays open to a page with his image

    Software Reveals Possible Inspiration for 11 Shakespeare Plays

    Feb 14, 2018
  • praying mantis on black background

    Praying Mantis and 3D Glasses Help Discover A New Form of Vision

    Feb 12, 2018
  • two men sitting squatting and looking at the oman desert

    Mars Simulation Tests, Conducted in the Oman Desert

    Feb 9, 2018
  • indian stone tools on grey background

    Ancient Indian Stone Tools Reveal New Things about Humanity (Study)

    Feb 5, 2018
  • Naked mole rats.

    Naked Mole Rats Are Not Affected by Aging, New Study Reveals

    Jan 29, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Stocks
  • Technology
  • US
  • World

Copyright © 2021 beacontranscript.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.