At the National Museum of Natural Sciences (Madrid), a team of scientists discovered that bustards are known to use wild flora for medicinal purposes. Thus, the heaviest flying birds in the world consume certain plants to rid themselves of parasites.
For more than forty years, experts have been studying bustards inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 623 samples of these birds' droppings have been collected, including 178 from birds during the breeding season. The analyses revealed fragments of stems, leaves, and inflorescences belonging to 90 species of vegetation.
Scientists claim that the bustards most frequently consumed Plantago lanceolata and self-seeding poppy. The poppy, for instance, has a high content of reganin, epiberberine, and canadine. All of these are bioactive alkaloids.
The extract of both the poppy and Plantago effectively weakens or completely destroys protozoa and parasitic worms. Additionally, Plantago moderately resists fungi.
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