Henry Raymond

Fairfax News => Current News & Events => Topic started by: Henry on May 27, 2009, 07:51:35 AM

Title: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: Henry on May 27, 2009, 07:51:35 AM
I had thought that maybe it was so you would be able to see it on the blacktop:

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/forum_photos/dcp_8019_1.jpg)

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/forum_photos/dcp_8020_1.jpg)

The above two photos are of my walk between the garage and the house.  We have some lovely morning doves that love to hang around there and everytime you go out or come in they take off leaving behind them a stream of "White Bird Poop."

Now here is the question.  Why is Bird Poop White?  Now this may be a little more than you need to know, but here it is and you will no longer need to ponder the question:

Many people wonder why bird poop is white. The reason bird poop is the white color it is instead of brown like most other animals has to do with the fact that birds, unlike mammals do not urinate. Their kidneys excrete nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid. Uric acid has a low solubility with water, so it comes out as a white paste.

This excrement, as well as the output of the intestines, emerges from what is called the cloaca. The cloaca is a multi-purpose hole for birds: their wastes come out of it, they have sex by putting their cloacas together, and females lay eggs out of it.

Now if there is anything else you might like to know regarding this, you can click on the following link, however, when you leave the forum this morning you will have just one more piece of valuable information.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21226.asp (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21226.asp)

News is slow today.
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: Suzy on May 27, 2009, 08:23:17 AM
Thank you for sharing...
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: Judi on May 27, 2009, 09:39:49 AM
I read this while eating my great grains cereal, thanks Henry!
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: trussell on May 27, 2009, 09:48:22 AM
Thank you, Henry, for tackling the difficult questions we all wonder about.

I've often had to argue with people who just didn't believe me that chickens have just 1 "multipurpose" hole. Haha!
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: mirjo on May 27, 2009, 09:51:56 AM
I'll never view a bird the same way again. Thanks for the science lesson! ;-)
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: YouAnnMos on May 27, 2009, 09:59:42 AM
Maybe stranger still -- I never wondered why bird poop was white.
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: NorthFairfaxBoy on May 28, 2009, 03:56:31 PM
Birdie Birdie in the sky..
Drop some white wash in my eye..
I don't worry...
I don't cry...
I am just glad cows can't fly!
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: Mike Raburn on May 30, 2009, 01:43:00 AM
And here I thought MY posts may have been OFFENSIVE and REPULSIVE.....

I forget that Henry has one heck of a sense of humor.

GOOD on you Henry!

Poop thread!
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: trussell on June 04, 2009, 07:00:00 PM
Because I know Mike and Steve will appreciate it:

(http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/albums/forum_photos/119ab8.sized.jpg)

:)

-Trevor
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: edakrupp on June 05, 2009, 06:53:31 AM
Robin poop is brown, and thats the same stuff the squirt to hold their "mud" straw nests together. So they literally do sleep in their own... Now I know why my mother always told me to wash my hands after holding a bird!
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: Suzy on June 05, 2009, 07:12:30 AM
Trevor, did you take that photo?
It's a great "shot" so-to-speak! 
Sooz
Title: Re: Something You & I Have Always Been Curious About
Post by: trussell on June 05, 2009, 07:53:35 AM
No, I didn't take the photo.  It was forwarded to me along with a bunch of other similarly-cool pics. :)