Scented Nests

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Nov. 10, 2009

Why blue tits build smelly nests.

For a big, healthy baby, try aromatherapy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

Well, at least if you're a – kids, hold your snickers – "blue tit." These Corsican natives build unusually lovely nests in tree holes. Every day the birds gather and add fresh, sweet-smelling plants like lavender or mint.

To understand why, French scientists did some redecorating. They collected blue tit nests and replaced the aromatic plants in some with fragrance-free moss.

Turns out, a sweet-smelling home pleases more than just bird noses.

Baby blue tits raised in aromatic nests are healthier. Which is to say they grew faster, developed more feathers, and had more red blood cells than youngsters raised in unscented nests.

Researchers think the scents might help kill bacteria on the chicks' skin. That way, baby birds can use their energy to grow, not battle bugs.

Indeed, aromatic plants brought the biggest benefits during times of food shortage or bad weather, when resources were scarce.

Plus these natural air fresheners get rid of that annoying smell after the birds have a fish fry. In the nest. Well, if they did. You know.

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