Tag Archives: nest

Vulture Discovers Hidden Medieval Treasure in Its Nest

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Understanding Animal Hoarding Behaviors

Hoarding is a fascinating and common behavior observed in many animal species. Various creatures store food in preparation for potential food shortages.

While you might already know that squirrels hide nuts and wall mice stash seeds, fire ants exhibit a unique hoarding strategy by storing excess food in the warmest areas of their nests to create what is sometimes referred to as “insect jerky.” This behavior is present in many animals, including humans.

Several other animals hoard materials for their homes. For example, decorator crabs gather seaweed, sea anemones, and sponges to adorn and camouflage their shells. Meanwhile, bonehouse hornets accumulate dead ants to fortify the entrances of their nests.

However, these examples pale in comparison to the impressive hoarding abilities of the bearded vulture (Gyphaetus barbatus).

With a wingspan reaching up to 3 meters (10 feet), bearded vultures rank among the largest birds of prey in Europe. These majestic raptors typically form lifelong pair bonds and return to the same cliffside nesting site annually.

During each breeding season, bearded vultures add new materials to their nests, creating layered structures. Often, these sites are reused across generations, transforming them into natural time capsules.

In 2025, a remarkable study revealed what scientists discovered when they examined 12 ancient, abandoned bearded vulture nests in southern Spain.

Alongside traditional nesting materials like sticks and feathers, researchers uncovered a staggering 2,483 “rich and well-preserved” artifacts. Most of these items were undigested remnants of prey, including hooves and eggshells, but about 10% were human-made objects.

Image credit: Ann-Sophie De Steur

Among the artifacts were 72 pieces of leather, 129 pieces of cloth, an unusual basket, a crossbow bolt, and parts of a slingshot.

Notably, one completed sandal and two unfinished examples known as Agovias were found. These sandals were traditionally woven from fibrous esparto grass and required regular maintenance.

Many of these artifacts, including sandals, date back to the Middle Ages, a period that spanned from the 5th to the late 15th century.

The precise reason for the bearded vultures’ collection of objects remains uncertain. One theory suggests they might be selecting materials to enhance their nests, while another posits an interest in preserving local history, potentially for their chicks.

Historically, the bearded vulture was prevalent in southern Spain; however, its population drastically declined in the 19th and 20th centuries due to severe persecution. Fortunately, conservation efforts have led to some recovery, and the species is now classified as near-threatened.

Thanks to the strategic locations of these ancient nests, the artifacts have been remarkably preserved over time.

A study detailing these findings noted: “The structural integrity of western Mediterranean bearded vulture nests, located in protected areas like caves and rock shelters, has allowed them to function as natural museums.”

Therefore, the bearded vulture not only stands out as one of nature’s most intriguing animals but also serves as a custodian of an extraordinary array of historical artifacts.

This article addresses the question (by Jackie Bryce from Chichester): “Are there any animals that hoard treasures?”

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at: questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (don’t forget to include your name and location).

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Observing bees protect their nest by using their wings to ward off ants

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Japanese honeybees flap their wings to knock down ants that try to invade their nest.

Ants often invade honeybee hives to steal honey, prey on eggs, and kill worker bees. In defense, honeybees are known to fan their wings to blow ants away. Researchers have documented bees making contact with ants using their wings to physically knock them out of the hive, a behavior that has not been studied before.

High-speed camera footage shows guard wasps near the entrance of the hive leaning towards approaching ants, then flapping their wings to change direction and escape. If they hit the ant, it’s blown away.

Many beekeepers seem unaware of this strategy, as noted by Yoshiko Sakamoto. “I have never noticed this behavior in my nearly 10 years of beekeeping experience,” she says.

Researchers Yugo Seko and Kiyoto Morii from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba introduced three species of native ants to the entrances of two Japanese honeybee hives (Honeybees colonies) and captured footage of hundreds of insect duels.

In most interactions, the bees hit the ants with their wings. However, this defense method is not always successful. Against some ants such as Pristomyrmex punctatus and Japanese street ants (Tsushima), the ants were blown away in about half to one third of attempts. This method was less effective against Japanese forest ants (Formica japonica), a larger and faster species.

Ants present varying levels of threat to bees, with some species being more aggressive than others. Bees may have evolved to use the wing-flailing defense tactic to avoid contact with more dangerous ants, while being more efficient against other species, according to the researchers.

The team plans to further study the bees’ responses to ant attacks and observe how the interaction between bees and ants evolves over time. They also aim to investigate whether the bees’ wing-beating skills improve as they gain experience. “There are still many mysteries surrounding this defensive behavior,” Morii says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Recent Update: Professor confirms abandoned bird nest is still present

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Nest: Still abandoned

Be prepared. A neglected bird's nest still remains in the mouth of a large ancient stone sculpture of a human face, hanging high on the wall at the northern end of the outdoor garden known as the “Michelangelo's Corridor” at the National Roman Museum in Rome, reports a professor at University College London (UCL). The professor discovered the nest during a visit to the museum in April this year and reported it to a colleague who is the director of a natural history museum in the Netherlands. The colleague visited the National Roman Museum the next day and asked if he could take the nest back to the museum in Rotterdam to add it to his biological curiosities collection, rather than having the staff remove it and destroy or dispose of it. The request was greeted with enthusiastic gratitude from two staff members at the Roman Museum, but a third staff member who happened to come across the scene with a ladder when the first two climbed the ladder to remove the previously unnoticed nest from the sculpture's mouth, and warned that no twig or pebble should ever leave his museum.

Photos of the nest in question can be seen in the May 8th feedback.

In early June, the UCL professor quietly revisited the National Museum of Rome and shortly thereafter sent out a “it's still there” report to Feedback.

Feedback: We are more than happy to receive reports from future visitors to Michelangelo's Cloister observing whether the empty nest (one might call it an “amuse-bouche”) is still nestled in the statue's mouth.

Not Your Way

Reader Ashok Khushalani contributes to Feedback's collection of inspiring and admirable organizational slogans that have been replaced, supplanted, or clearly abandoned, though not always obvious to the general public (May 18). Classic examples include IBM's “THINK” and Google's “Don't be evil.”

Khushalani laments the disappearance of Burger King's slogan, “Make it your way,” from everyday life, and he suggests that its absence has meaning.

If you know of a hot slogan that was highly promoted and is now in storage, please don’t say it with any ill intent and keep it to yourself.

Instead, please send it along with the documentation as feedback to “Mourning dead slogans”.

A weak theory

North Americans' fascination with rod-shaped objects and the human habit of proposing and then rejecting theories are two factors that have led to theDoes size matter? Penis dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America” “.

Reader Matthew Hall sent a copy to Feedback.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and individual gun ownership in the United States,” Terence D. Hill and colleagues from Texas and Florida wrote. “Our findings do not support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership.”

The same team will be joined by two other researchers in 2021.Sexual Dysfunction and Gun Ownership in the United States: When hard data meets unfounded theory”.

They poured cold water on the often heated public debate, saying: “Our key finding is that [sexual dysfunction] They are no more likely to own a gun than men without SD.”

BustaOr so they apparently said in their previous paper, but that didn't stop them from continuing to write about it. Busta”Ultimately, these arguments are counterproductive to society because they distract us from tangible realities like penis dissatisfaction and gun ownership.”

Smell

The June 12 article about a famous pathologist's inability to smell led reader John Adams to reflect on his own journey as a medical professional.

“As for Sir Bernard Spilsbury's anosmia, I was told as a medical student that this was common because pathologists are exposed to large amounts of formaldehyde fumes which destroy the olfactory nerves. One of the reasons I avoided this specialty is because I want my patients to have answers.”

Feedback suggests that a similar (but milder) preference for conversation leads people to choose dentistry.

Telltale Title

Ideally, the title of a scientific report clearly summarizes its entire content. To encourage this habit, Feedback has compiled a collection called “The Title Tells You Everything You Need to Know.”

Let's look at two examples.The man's fractured sternum was likely caused by the weight of the snake during the fall.” appears British Medical Journal 1997.Experimental replication reveals knife made from frozen human feces doesn't work” was decorated Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports 2019.

If you find similarly impressive examples, please submit them as feedback to “Telltale titles,” along with details of the citation.

Marc Abrahams is the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founder of the journal Annals of Improbable Research. He previously worked on unusual uses of computers. His website is Impossible

Do you have a story for feedback?

You can submit articles for Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week's and past Feedback can be found on our website.

Source: www.newscientist.com

The bird invites its mate into the nest with a gracious gesture

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Female titmouse flapping its wings

Toshitaka Suzuki

Great tits appear to flap their wings to signal their mates to enter the nest, suggesting that birds may use a variety of gestures to communicate.

Signals such as hand waving are common aspects of communication between humans and other great apes. To learn more about such behavior of birds, Toshitaka Suzuki Professors at the University of Tokyo installed hundreds of nest boxes in forests where great tits live (minor pulse) For the past few years, near the town of Karuizawa.

To mimic the tree cavities that great tits normally inhabit, each box had a 7.5-centimeter-wide hole, just large enough to fit one bird at a time.

During the breeding season, the researchers observed 321 nest visits by eight pairs, with great tits often carrying food to feed the hatchlings.

When the couple arrives at the nest together, each tit perches on a nearby branch before entering the nest. About 40 percent of the time, the female turned her chest toward the male and flap her wings for a few seconds. Immediately the male entered the nest first, followed by the female.

However, when neither bird was flapping, which accounted for 44 percent of nest visits, the female usually entered the nest first. Only one male was observed flapping its wings repeatedly, and then the female moved in first. No flapping of wings was observed when each bird arrived separately.

“We can conclude that this wing flapping conveys ‘after you’ and encourages the male to enter the nest first,” Suzuki says. “This study is the first to demonstrate that birds can use wing movements to convey specific meanings.”

The findings suggest that great tits, and perhaps other bird species, communicate in a much more complex way than previously thought.

“There is a hypothesis that language evolved from communication through gestures,” Suzuki says. “Thus, these studies help us understand the evolution of complex communication, including our language.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com