Many birds engage in anting, a behaviour in which a bird approaches a colony of ants (small insects), picks up ants with its beak, and rubs the ants on its feathers. Since ants instinctively defend themselves by spraying formic acid, the bird ends up with formic acid on its feathers and skin. There are several theories about the possible benefit that birds get from anting. Relief of Skin Irritation during Feather Change Anting behaviour typically takes place during the summer. This fact leads some scientists to believe that the function of anting is to relieve skin irritation that birds feel, especially during summer months. In summer, birds lose old feathers and grow new ones. The formic acid, which the birds apply to their feathers and skin through anting, may act as a kind of skin lotion, helping to soothe the skin irritation caused by feather loss and replacement. Protection against Parasites Another theory is that the formic acid helps the birds protect themselves from external parasites, such as mites and ticks, that can infest their feathers or skin. In anting so the theory goes a bird is essentially using the formic acid that it spreads over its feathers and skin as a chemical defence against parasites. Food Preparation A third theory is release of formic acid makes it possible for the birds to feed on the ants. Formic acid tastes bitter; if the birds provoke ants into releasing the formic acid, the bitter taste is removed from the ants’ bodies and the birds can feed on the ants without tasting the bitterness. So, according to this theory, anting is just a way for birds to make sure the ants taste good.
The reading passage asserts that anting which is an act done by birds (rubbing ants on their feathers) is based on three main assumptions. The lecturer, however, challenges those statements, and provides reasons to refute them all.
First of all, the author claims that rubbing ants on the feathers by birds is in service of the aim smoothing the skin irritation during feather change. Conversely, the speaker brings up the fact that in the summer ants are more active, so they are easier to be found by birds. Moreover, birds will find many more ants. As a result, the change in birds' feathers and anting could simply be a coincidence.
Secondly, the writer argues that anting helps birds to be protected against parasites. On the contrary, the lecturer underlines the fact that there is no reliable evidence of the benefit of anting on birds. Additionally, he says that birds which engage anting are not necessarily protected against parasites. other animals like rats do not engage anting but they are not infected more than birds by parasites.
Finally, it is stated in the passage that birds commit anting to feed on them. In contrast, the speaker dismisses this issue due to the fact that rubbing other objects like a piece of soap or cigarets have been observed among birds. As we know, birds do not eat those things, and rubbing things on their feathers is an instinctive behavior for birds.
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Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 310, Rule ID: UPPERCASE_SENTENCE_START
Message: This sentence does not start with an uppercase letter
Suggestion: Other
...ecessarily protected against parasites. other animals like rats do not engage anting ...
^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
but, conversely, finally, first, however, moreover, second, secondly, so, in contrast, as a result, first of all, on the contrary
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 10.4613686534 134% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 2.0 5.04856512141 40% => OK
Conjunction : 5.0 7.30242825607 68% => OK
Relative clauses : 10.0 12.0772626932 83% => OK
Pronoun: 20.0 22.412803532 89% => OK
Preposition: 33.0 30.3222958057 109% => OK
Nominalization: 3.0 5.01324503311 60% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1165.0 1373.03311258 85% => OK
No of words: 239.0 270.72406181 88% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 4.87447698745 5.08290768461 96% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.93187294222 4.04702891845 97% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.49906759455 2.5805825403 97% => OK
Unique words: 132.0 145.348785872 91% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.55230125523 0.540411800872 102% => OK
syllable_count: 350.1 419.366225166 83% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 8.0 8.23620309051 97% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 1.25165562914 160% => OK
Conjunction: 2.0 1.51434878587 132% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 13.0 13.0662251656 99% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 21.2450331126 85% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 30.4236360933 49.2860985944 62% => OK
Chars per sentence: 89.6153846154 110.228320801 81% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.3846153846 21.698381199 85% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.92307692308 7.06452816374 140% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 4.19205298013 24% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 4.33554083885 161% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 4.45695364238 45% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.27373068433 94% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.349185411448 0.272083759551 128% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.137755358793 0.0996497079465 138% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0726135928475 0.0662205650399 110% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.217953748895 0.162205337803 134% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0498445085111 0.0443174109184 112% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 10.7 13.3589403974 80% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 61.67 53.8541721854 115% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.1 11.0289183223 83% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 10.97 12.2367328918 90% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.77 8.42419426049 92% => OK
difficult_words: 49.0 63.6247240618 77% => More difficult words wanted.
linsear_write_formula: 7.5 10.7273730684 70% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.2 10.498013245 88% => OK
text_standard: 8.0 11.2008830022 71% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 71.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 21.5 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.