Ah…one of my favorite topics! Here's what BNA online says about waxwings and fermented fruit:
**** Cedar Waxwing is vulnerable to alcohol intoxication and death after eating fermented fruits. Two cases from s. California implicate fermented palm (Phoenix sp.) fruits in mass mortality of Cedar Waxwings. Forty-two birds from flock of about 200 died in late Feb after eating fermented palm fruits (Miller 1932). Similarly, 31 birds that were eating palm fruits died in a 2-wk period in late Apr (McClure 1962). Two Cedar Waxwings died from falling to the ground after apparently becoming intoxicated from eating fermented hawthorn fruits; their crop contents and livers showed elevated concentrations of ethanol (Fitzgerald et al. 1990). Bohemian Waxwings can metabolize alcohol more rapidly than European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and Greenfinches (Chloris chloris) can (Eriksson and Nummi 1982), but capacity of Cedar Waxwings to metabolize alcohol has not been evaluated. Cedar Waxwings are able to smell volatile chemicals (Clark 1991). Olfaction may be important in detection and evaluation of fruit foods, but this area remains unexplored. **** In terms of why waxwings would eat snow/drink water, why could not both theories (they're thirsty, they're trying to dilute any fermented juices) be true? Certainly fruits at this time of year are pretty dried up, so the direct reason waxwings need to drink is likely dehydration…but in doing so they also dilute any residual fermented juice. BTW, from my observations, in late summer and fall, Cedar Waxwings preferentially select more rotten-looking, overripe fruits rather than underripe ones. My theory is that the squishier overripe fruits are easier for them to swallow. But those fruits aren't as photogenic as slightly less ripe ones…oh dear….what we poor photographers have to contend with! OK enough from me about fermentation…I'm feeling woozy already. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail [email protected] http://www.marieread.com ***NEW*** Music of the Birds Vol 1 ebook for Apple iPad now available from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/music-of-the-birds-v1/id529347014?mt=11 ________________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of W. Larry Hymes [[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2014 11:39 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Inebriation in birds I recently wrote about cedar waxwings consuming snow, while at the time they were eating the dried fruit of Korean Ash. I raised the question whether they were perhaps doing this to dilute the alcohol in the fruit. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
