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That big brown hole in the tree trunk seems to be an ayurvedic pharmacy for this katphora couple! Anting with tree sap - rare behaviour. Golden-backed Woodpeckers anting with amla tree sap! First time ever documented, it seems... It is not just humans who recognize the properties of the Aonla or Amla tree. Birds such as the Golden-backed Woodpecker seem to know the virtues of the tree, as well. This bird is pecking at one particular spot on the trunk, baring a small green hole into the sap. It pecks out the sap and applies it to its wings and feathers, probably for anti-bacterial properties. There are loads of Vitamin C in the sap and fruit as well. What other reason could there be, for this strange and never-before-recorded behaviour? This bird is pecking for therepeutic and prophylactic
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