Bird species use of Tapinanthus dodoneifolius mistletoes parasitising African locust bean trees Parkia biglobosa in Amurum Forest Reserve, Nigeria

Abstract

The relationship between mistletoes and their host trees constitutes one of the unique host–parasite interactions in ecosystems. Most West African studies have reported on the parasitic nature of the relationship between Tapinanthus dodoneifolius mistletoes and Parkia biglobosa trees. However, there is little on bird species’ use and subsequent dispersal of the mistletoe on P. biglobosa, and consequently, we investigated aspects of this relationship in the present study. We conducted our study in Amurum Forest Reserve, located in the central part of Nigeria, from May to September 2017. The study area consists of a mosaic of savanna, gallery forest, and rocky outcrops. Of the bird community in this area, the yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoconus had the highest number of visits to T. dodoneifolius fruits, while the Senegal Eremomela Eremomela pusilla spent the most time foraging on the fruits. Four sunbird species were recorded feeding on T. dodoneifolius flowers for nectar; all but the Copper Sunbird Cinnyris cupreus were observed opening the flowers of T. dodoneifolius. Other bird species were recorded foraging on insects on T. dodoneifolius, and some simply perching on twigs or pecking on mistletoe fruits. This was a mutualistic relationship between the respective bird species and the mistletoe. This indirectly benefitted the parasitised host by attracting potential pollinators, seed dispersers, and insectivores for the host, hence, improving the rate of visitation to the host. These patterns of visitation behaviours highlighted the ecological importance of T. dodoneifolius within the reserve, particularly in enhancing the survival of other taxa within the reserve. Findings from this study contribute to developing more-nuanced conservation strategies for mixed high savannah habitat types across the tropics.