Rare sight of elephants eating bird nests in Kenya
- 6 years ago
Wildlife videographer Matt Brierly captured two elephants eating bird nests containing live chicks and eggs.
It is thought that elephants only eat vegetation.
The clip, captured on February 28 in Kenya, shows two elephants catching weaver bird nests on the branches of a tree with their trunk and taking them to the mouth.
The filmer writes: ''The jury is still out on how accidental the consumption was, but an elephant certainly needs lots of salts, and lots of calcium for their tusks and constantly eroding teeth.
''The weaver bird nests would contain both salts and calcium, all wrapped up in a tasty sun-dried hay bundle.
''The weaver bird chicks that leapt from nests plucked by the elephants quickly scrambled to higher ground and were found by their parents.''
It is thought that elephants only eat vegetation.
The clip, captured on February 28 in Kenya, shows two elephants catching weaver bird nests on the branches of a tree with their trunk and taking them to the mouth.
The filmer writes: ''The jury is still out on how accidental the consumption was, but an elephant certainly needs lots of salts, and lots of calcium for their tusks and constantly eroding teeth.
''The weaver bird nests would contain both salts and calcium, all wrapped up in a tasty sun-dried hay bundle.
''The weaver bird chicks that leapt from nests plucked by the elephants quickly scrambled to higher ground and were found by their parents.''