There are sooooo many things wrong with what I've read here. Yet, at the same time, it's a fascinating article about the resilience and adaptability of the creatures who have had their environments decimated and completely transformed, yet somehow manage to take advantage of, and even thrive, in their current situation.
First of all, please understand that I am not hating on smokers. I've been an on-again, off-again smoker (currently on-again) since I was sixteen. Do I condone smoking? Hell no, but I'm not gonna preach against it, either. What I will preach against, however, is the throwing, flicking, and dropping of butts all over tarnation (tee-hee!). To dispose of your cig butt wherever you feel like is simply lazy. Ash trays and garbages just aren't that hard to find. If there aren't any around, put the butt in your pocket until you find somewhere to dispose of it properly.
Alright, now that I got that out of the way, I must admit that my disdain towards butt throwers was ever so slightly diminished after I read this article. It shouldn't have surprised me to learn that birds are building nests with cigarette butts, but, well, it did. Most cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, which is basically plasticised wood cellulose with a few other things thrown in. What's more, they do not biodegrade. So yeah, those tightly woven little wonders would make a pretty good, long lasting nest insulator. The insecticidal properties that birds enjoy from them are simply a happy accident. More nicotine in the nest = fewer parasites = better bird health = larger, healthier broods. The babies in these healthier broods learn from their parents to use the butts, and the cycle continues.
Perhaps what most disturbs me about what I've read here is the fact that house sparrows are among the bird species benefitting from discarded butts. And house sparrows, as you may or may not know, are the devil. They're a European species intentionally introduced to the U.S. (Central Park) around 1850. Since then, their numbers have exploded and their range has expanded to cover nearly the entire continent. You might be thinking "Hey! Good for them!", but here's the deal; house sparrows are simply too good at life. They out-compete our native birds for both food and shelter. They'll even go so far as to build their nests on top of the nests of our native birds, even if those nests already have eggs and/or chicks in them. Guess what then happens to those eggs and chicks…yup……they die. It's deplorable.
OK, I'm almost done here, and yes, I realize the ciggy butts are helping our native birds too, but the sparrows are already winning, and the butts are helping to exacerbate the problem. I guess my message on this is pretty clear: Put your butts where they belong. Nobody wants to see a ground littered with cigarette filters and nobody wants to see a sky filled with nothing by house sparrows.
Article: Birds Use Butts In Nests to Deter Parasites
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