Adaptation is often invisible until you understand the problem it solves.
Field Notes
Without context, this scene looks strange. Why would birds gather to eat dirt?
The answer exists somewhere else in the ecosystem. The plants evolved defenses. The birds evolved a response. Neither makes complete sense without the other.
Many adaptations look irrational until we discover the pressure that created them. What appears unusual, inefficient, or unnecessary is often the visible trace of a challenge we cannot see.
The behavior makes sense once the problem becomes visible.