Abstract
The Neotropical woodpecker Melanerpes candidus is one of the few bird species known to attack wasp or bee colonies to feed on the brood and honey of these colonial stinging insects. I describe herein a foraging tactic that lessen the risk posed by the nest-defending Paulistinha wasps (Polybia paulista) and allows this woodpecker to feed on the brood with no or little disturbance by the wasps. The bird taps repeatedly on the branch that supports the paper wasp nest, about 2-3 m below the nest. During this process, the nest-defending wasps attack the woodpecker. When the attack is intense, the bird retreats from the nest vicinity only to return instants later. After a while, the woodpecker climbs slowly but steadily towards the nest while tapping continuously, the wasps retreating to the nest top and fleeing away. With the nest largely wasp-free, the bird perches on the nest and preys on the brood. This subtle foraging tactic of M. candidus and its driving the wasps away from their nest contrasts with the sudden, rash, and nest- damaging attacks described for other bird species that prey on wasp and bee broods, such the Neotropical falcon Ibycter americanus and the Old World buzzards of the genus Pernis.
Highlights
Very few bird species attack bee and wasp colonies to feed on the brood and honey of these stinging, nest-defending insects
This raptor makes bold and quick nest-damaging attacks to drive the wasps away (McCann et al 2013), and once the nest defenders are gone the bird feeds on the brood (Figure 1b). This falcon breaks pieces of the nest and feeds on the brood and adults on the pieces fallen to the ground (Sick 1997). Besides these two raptor genera, there is another pillager on wasp and bee nests: the White Woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus), a species confined to South America (Winkler & Christie 2002)
This falcon breaks pieces of the nest and feeds on the brood and adults on the pieces fallen to the ground (Sick 1997). This bird is long known as a wasp nest marauder feeding on the brood and honey (Kerr 1892, Chubb 1910, Hempel 1949, Sick 1997), but to the best of my knowledge its foraging tactics are mentioned en passant or are poorly described in the available records that mention attack on wasp nests
Summary
Very few bird species attack bee and wasp colonies to feed on the brood and honey of these stinging, nest-defending insects. These birds boldly attack wasp or bee colonies, break a comb piece and fly away to feed on the brood (Figure 1a).
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