Strange Species of Bird 'Paints' Bacteria on Its Eggs

You'd think that bacteria would be a bad thing. But in the case of hoophoes, birds that can be found in the Afro-Eurasia region, it turns out that bacteria on their eggs may actually increase successful hatching.

In this case, the researchers found hoophoes cover their eggs with a secretion that they produce themselves, loaded with mutualistic bacteria. This bacteria is then retained in a specialized structure in the eggshell, which helps with hatching.

In order to see exactly how this secretion impacts eggs, the researchers prevented several female hoophoes from coating their eggs. This, in turn, confirmed that the amount of pathogen bacteria that could be found inside the eggs which failed to hatch was higher in eggs that were kept from the secretion than those that had been coated.

"With this experiment, we have been able to establish that if the females can use their secretion, towards the end of the incubation period, those tiny craters are full of a substance saturated with bacteria," said Manuel Martin-Vivaldi, one of the authors of the new study, in a news release. "If we preclude the use of this secretion, these tiny craters appear empty towards the end of the hatching process."

In fact, the new findings reveal that the birds have co-evolved with the use of bacteria. It's likely that the bacteria could be useful in producing antimicrobial substances. Currently, the researchers hope to continue to determine the specific composition of the bacterial community, how these symbionts are acquired, and the kind of antimicrobial compounds that synthesize these bacteria.

The findings are published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

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