Page 99 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #04

Q&A

Q B
Y Wildflowers in bloom
onaroundabout in
What is Abergavenny, Wales.
an extra-flora
nectary?

A Nectaries are theglands within a A Yes. While roundabouts can be They can even help to create an urban
flower that produce nectar to attract something of a nuisance for drivers, they environment more favourable tosome
pollinating insects, such as the orange-tip can be havens for wildlife. One reason for species than intensively farmed countryside.
hi i htherelative
btt fl ( bove)E tra-floral nectaries,
b u tt er fly ( ab ) . E x t fl l t i thi s i s l i protection offered to The types of trees and plants that grow on
d themselves surrounded
which are often situated away from the animals who find roundaboutscan affectthecreatures found
bloom, play more of adefensive role, by an impenetrab ble river of moving cars there, leading to a growing call to manage
luring insects to protect the plant (such isolation all lowed a flock offeral roundabouts in a more sustainable and
– for instance against herbivores. SM chickens to exist o onaNorfolk roundabout wildlife-friendly way. Unlike other urban
for many ye ars). Indeed, these green green spaces, roundabouts don’t usually
islands c can act as mini-nature face pressure for development, so there’s
h
ifi
i
f
i l
reserves s and id homes for a real l potentialto turn them iintosignificant
d provide
h
surpri ising number of species, biodiversity hotspots.
includ Christian Dunn
ding many rare insects.

Q BIRDS
Do bi rd s g
Do birds lay eggsata
particular time of day?
e
A Most small birds lay soon after r
sunrise, most likely because their Small birds, such
as nuthatches,
eggs are relatively large compared to generally lay their
g
body size. Carrying such a big, fragile eggsat first light.
object around may make a bird more
o
vulnerable to predators and increases
the risk of damage. Larger birds,
whose eggs are much smaller
relative to body size, often lay at
other times of day with no clear
timing pattern. Some, however,
are constrained by behaviour.
For example, most petrels and
shearwaters only return to their nesting
e
burrows after dark, which restricts egg-
laying to night-time hours. Interestingly,
s
female cuckoos – whose eggs are very
v
d
small for a bird of their size – layduring
the afternoon, possibly because theey are
less likely to be detectedby their hosts,
who spend more time away from the
t
nest during these hours. Mike Tomms