Birds have become addicted to cigarettes – but not quite like people

The unexpected weapon of the nightingales: cigarette filters help keep nests clean of parasites. Photo: instagram/pacbirds Nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in cigarettes, has found an unexpected use in nature. When some companies offer nicotine patches to overworked employees to help them cope with the day, nightingales and other bird species have started to collect cigarette butts in their nests.

However, the reason is not a nicotine addiction, but rather a clever trick: the toxic substances contained in tobacco help the birds to keep away parasites and raise healthy chicks.

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