HOT PEPPERS ARE FOR THE BIRDS

• Plants produce metabolites that are needed to ward off animal predators. Dr. Michael Need of the New York Botanical Society, thinks capsaicin in chiles serves that purpose
• Capsaicin prevents animals from eating the chiles so that they can be eaten by birds which are a better vector for seeds
• Mammals get a burning sensation from capsaicin but birds do not. Seeds pass through the bird's gut intact and get spread in new areas. Chiles originally found in South America are found growing on the border between Mexico and Texas
• Commercial products are now available to prevent squirels from eating birdseed by the addition of cayenne pepper or chili extract.