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Published online 1 September 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040830-6
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Owls use dung as bait for beetles
Birds demonstrate tool use by collecting droppings to entice prey.
It is unlikely to win an award for tasteful home decor, but the burrowing owl has a good reason for filling its lair with other animals' muck. The birds scatter scraps of faeces in and around their burrows to attract dung beetles, one of their favourite foods.
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