Associations between birds and social wasps in the Pantanal wetlands

作者：Almeida Sara Miranda^*; dos Anjos Silva Evandson Jose

来源：Ararajuba, 2015, 23(3): 305-308.

DOI：10.1007/bf03544296

• Animal behavior
• bird nests
• bird-wasp interactions
• wasp colonies

Nesting associations between birds and wasps may increase reproductive success of birds because the stings of these insects serve to protect the offspring against predators. The predation of wasps by birds is known from elsewhere and usually birds feed on the wasps during flight. Here we report on nest associations between birds and social wasps and comments on wasp nest predation by birds in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands. The study was conducted in the sub-region known as "Pantanal de Pocone", state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We recorded seven associations involving four bird species: Paroaria capitata, Myiozetetes similis, M. cayannensis and Columbina talpacoti, and four wasp species: Polybia sericea, P. ruficeps xanthops, Chartergus globiventris and Parachartergus fraternus. One successful nest of M. cayannensis (14.2%) was associated to P. sericea wasps. On the other hand, 42.8% of the bird nests were abandoned, and 42.8% were preyed upon. Additionally, a direct event of wasp nest predation was recorded, in which a group of Melanerpes candidus attacked a nest of P. ruficeps xanthops. Other ten wasp nests were found with marks of predation made by birds. These were nests of Synoeca surinama (n = 2), P. chrysothorax (n = 2), P. ruficeps xanthops (n = 3), P. sericea (n = 2) and P. jurinei (n = 1), suggesting that social wasps may constitute an additional element in the diet of insectivorous birds. We concluded that: 1) associations with wasps did not prevent predation of bird nests against the variety of predators in the region, and 2) the predation of social wasps by birds can contribute to population control of these social insects in the Pantanal. Further studies may shed additional light on this bird-wasp relationship.

• 出版日期2015-9