Page 81 - The Miracle In The Seed

Seed Dispersal

Fruit-eating birds have no giz-
zards and accordingly they do
not use pebbles to grind their
food. This feature is extremely
important, because were the
seeds ground in the bird’s ali-
mentary tract, they would be de-
stroyed and plants might
become extinct. But birds with-
out a gizzard can carry the seeds and let them germinate. Between birds and
plants, a symbiotic relationship exists. The plant’s seeds are carried by the bird,
which it nourishes in return. (Grains de Vie, p. 49.)

Birds sometimes use seeds
as a nest-building material,
as well as for food. They eat
the fleshy part of the fruit,
making it easier for seeds
inside to germinate by strip-
ping away their outer layer
or weakening the casing of
tough seeds.