Abstract
Nesting associations between birds and wasps may increase reproductive success of birds because the stings of these insects serve to protect the ofspring against predators. The predation of wasps by birds is known from elsewhere and usually birds feed on the wasps during fight. 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 Poconé”, 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. rufceps 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. rufceps xanthops. Other ten wasp nests were found with marks of predation made by birds. Tese were nests of Synoeca surinama (n = 2), P. chrysothorax (n = 2), P. rufceps 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.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Almeida, S. M.; Andena, S. R. & Anjos-Silva, E. J. (2014). Diversity of the nests of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in the Northern Pantanal, Brazil. Sociobiology, 61: 107–114.
Beier, P. & Tungbani, A. I. T. (2006). Nesting with wasps increases nest success of the red-cheeked cordon-bleu in Ghana. Auk, 123: 1022–1037.
Bologna, M. A.; Bombi, P.; Pitzalis, M. & Turillazzi, S. (2007). A previously unreported association between a social wasp and social passerine bird. Tropical Zoology, 20: 211–214.
Brightsmith, D. J. (2000). Use of arboreal termitaria by nesting birds in the Peruvian Amazon. Condor, 102: 529–538.
Cazal, S. R. A. L.; Azevedo Júnior, S. M.; Telino-Junior, W.; Neves, R. M. L.; Lira Filho, C. C. A.; Larrazábal, M. E. & Branco, J. O. (2009). Biologia de Tolmomyias faviventris (Wied, 1831) (Passeriformes, Tyrannidae) em Mata Atlântica, Pernambuco, Brasil. Ornithologia, 3: 67–72.
Clark, L.; Ricklefs, R. E. & Schreiber, R. W. (1983). Nest-site selection by the Red-tailed Tropic bird. Auk, 100: 953–959.
Dejean, A. & Fotso, R. C. (1995). Nesting associations of small birds and Polybioides tabidus (Vespidae, Epiponinae) in southern Cameroon. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 7: 11–25.
Duca, C. & Marini, M. Â. (2008). Breeding success of Cacicus haemorrhous (Linnaeus) (Aves: Icteridae) in different environments in an Atlantic Forest reserve in Southeast Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 25: 165–171.
Feekes, F. (1981). Biology and colonial organization of two sympatric caciques, Cacicus cela and Cacicus haemorrhous (Icteridae, Aves) in Suriname. Ardea, 69: 83–107.
Gibo, D. L. (1978). The selective advantage of froundress associations in Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): a field study of the effects of predation on productivity. Canadian Entomologist, 110: 519–540.
Haemig, P. D. (2001). Symbiotic nesting of birds with formidable animals: a review with applications to biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation, 10: 527–540.
Hansell, M. H. (2000). Bird nests and construction behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Henriques, R. P. B. & Palma, A. R. T. (1998). Bird predation on nest of a social wasp in Brasilian Cerrado. Revista de Biología Tropical, 46: 1143–1144.
Joyce, F. J. (1993). Nesting success of rufous-naped wrens (Campylorhynchus rufnucha) is greater near wasp nests. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 32: 71–77.
Lopes, L. E. & Marini, M. Â. 2005. Low reproductive success of Campo Suiriri (Suiriri afnis) and Chapada Flycatcher (S. islerorum) in the central Brazilian Cerrado. Bird Conservation International, 15: 337–346.
Martin, T. E. & Geupel, R. G. (1993). Nest-monitoring plots: methods for locating nests and monitoring success. Journal of Field Ornithology, 64: 507–519.
Menezes, J. C. T.; Barbosa, B. C. & Prezoto, F. (2014). Previously unreported nesting associations of the yellow-olive flycatcher (Tolmomyias sulphurescens) (Aves: Tyrannidae) with social wasps and bees. Ornitologia Neotropical, 25: 363–368.
Navarro, J. L; Martela, M. B. & Bucher, E. H. (1992). Breending season and productivity of monk parakeets in Cordoba, Argentina. Wilson Bulletin, 104: 413–424.
Nunes da Cunha, C.; Rebellato, L. & Costa, C. P. (2010). Vegetação e Flora: experiência pantaneira no sistema de grade, p. 37–57. In: Fernandes, I. M.; Signor, C. A. & Penha, J. Biodiversidade no Pantanal de Poconé. Cuiabá: Centro de Pesquisa do Pantanal.
Oniki, Y. (1979). Is nesting success of birds low in the tropics? Biotropica, 11: 60–69.
Patterer, A. N.; Beltzer, A. H. & Rossetti, M. A. (2003). Dieta de Melanerpes candidus carpintero blanco (Aves: Picidae) en El Valle de inundación del río Paraná, Argentina. FAVE - Ciencias Veterinarias, 2: 132–139.
Pinho, J. B. (2005). Riqueza de espécies, padrões de migração e biologia reprodutiva de aves em quatro ambientes forestais do Pantanal de Poconé, MT. Tese de doutorado. Belo Horizonte: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Raw, A. (1997). Avian predation on individual neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) outside their nests. Ornitologia Neotropical, 8: 89–92.
Richards, O. W. (1978). The social wasps of the Americas, excluding the Vespinae. London: British Museum (Natural History).
Ricklefs, R. E. (1969). An analysis of nesting mortality in birds. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 9: 1–48.
Robinson, S. K. 1985. Coloniality in the yellow-rumped cacique as a defense nest predators. Auk, 102: 506–519.
Sazima, I. (2014). Tap patiently, hit safely: a preying tactic of the White Woodpecker on social wasp nests. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 22: 292–296.
Sazima, I. & D’Angelo, G. B. (2015). Associações de aves com insetos sociais: um sumário no Sudeste do Brasil. Iheringia Série Zoologia, 105: 333.–338.
Sick, H. (1997). Ornitologia Brasileira. Nova Fronteira, Rio de janeiro.
Silva, J. S. V. & Abdon, M. M. (1998). Delimitação do Pantanal brasileiro e suas sub-regiões. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 33: 1703–1711.
Somavilla, A.; Fernandes, I. O.; De Oliveira, M. L. & Silveira, O. T. (2013). Association among wasps’ colonies, ants and birds in Central Amazonian. Biota Neotropica, 13: 308–313.
Strassmann, J. E. (1981). Parasitoids, predators, and group size in the paper wasp, Polistes exclamans. Ecology, 62: 1225–1233.
Sutton, G. M. (1939). The Mississippi kite in spring. Condor, 41: 41–53.
Wunderle, J. M. & Pollock, K. H. (1985). The bananaquit wasp nesting association and the random choice model. Ornithological Monographs, 36: 595–603.
Wray, T. & Whitmore, R. C. (1979). Effects of vegetation on Vesper Sparrows. Auk, 96: 802–805.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Almeida, S.M., dos Anjos-Silva, E.J. Associations between birds and social wasps in the Pantanal wetlands. Rev. Bras. Ornitol. 23, 305–308 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03544296
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03544296