Abstract
Relationships between birds and social insects include birds following ants, birds nesting close to active colonies of wasps or bees, and nesting inside termitaria. A little known relationship between birds and colonial insects is that of stingless bees (Meliponina) entering the nostrils of hawks and owls. Herein I report on a stingless bee entering the nostrils of the Roadside Hawk ( Rupornis magnirostris ), and on avoiding behaviours displayed by the same hawk species and a Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia ) in presence of stingless bees hovering in front of their faces. The bees probably were seeking mucus inside the raptors’ nostrils, as already reported for a few birds of prey. Avoiding behaviour seems a novelty in this relationship between raptors and bees. The role stingless bees play in the lives of some bird species remains little known, and merits closer attention by field ornithologists and apidolologist.
Highlights
The relationships between birds and social insects include birds that follow ants, birds that nest on branches close to active colonies of wasps or bees, and birds that nest inside active or vacant termitaria
I report on a stingless bee entering the nostrils of the Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris), and on avoiding behaviours displayed by the same hawk species and a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in presence of stingless bees hovering in front of their faces
One encounter between an unidentified, small Meliponina bee and an adult Roadside Hawk began with the bee hovering in front and above the cere of the bird (Figure 1a), landing on the left nostril (Figure 1b) and performing brushing movements with its forelegs to scrape what seemed dry mucus
Summary
The relationships between birds and social insects include birds that follow ants, birds that nest on branches close to active colonies of wasps or bees, and birds that nest inside active or vacant termitaria A little known relationship between birds and colonial insects is that of stingless bees (Meliponina) entering the nostrils of hawks and owls to take mucus (Lobato et al 2007). This relationship remains little known and I am unaware of any reference on the subject other than the short report by Lobato et al (2007) and a brief mention of this raptorbee relationship based on claims by indigenous people in Northern Brazil (Santos & Antonini 2008). I report on a stingless bee entering the nostrils of the Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris), and on avoiding behaviours displayed by the same hawk species and a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in presence of stingless bees hovering in front of their faces
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