The Bustard and the Bee-eater

BirdNote^®

The Bustard and the Bee-eater

Written by Kevin McLean

This is BirdNote.

The Kori Bustard struts across the savannahs of Eastern and Southern Africa. Its crested head sits on top of a long neck and stilted legs. With males standing up to 4 feet tall and weighing 40 pounds or more, Kori Bustards are one of the heaviest birds in the world that can still fly… though it takes some effort.

[Kori Bustard taking flight, ML31373311]

Look closely and you’ll see that this winged giant has a colorful companion. A small bird called the Carmine Bee-eater perches on the bustard’s back. It has a brilliant red body with blue accents on its head and tail. 

[Northern Carmine Bee-eater, XC267535, 0:00-0:10]

True to its name, the bee-eater eats plenty of bees and wasps, crushing them in its beak to avoid getting stung, then squeezing the venom out on a hard surface before swallowing it whole.

[Northern Carmine Bee-eater and bee sounds, XC300471, 0:02-0:12]

The Kori Bustard and the Carmine Bee-eater have a symbiotic relationship where at least one of them benefits. While the bustard searches for lizards, rodents, and other prey, it kicks up smaller insects that the bee-eater snatches up. From the air, the bee-eater could be watching for predators to warn the bustard when it’s time to take to the sky. 

[Kori Bustard taking flight]

But it’s possible that the bee-eater is grabbing a free ride and the bustard just isn’t bothered.

For BirdNote, I’m Kevin McLean.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Kori Bustard ML31373311 recorded by A. Spencer, Northern Carmine Bee-eater Xeno Canto 267535 recorded by A. Spencer, and Northern Carmine Bee-eater Xeno Canto 300471 recorded by P. Boesman.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote   June 2022/October 2024        Narrator: ​​Kevin McLean

ID# KORBUS-NCBEAT-01-2022-06-27        KORBUS-NCBEAT-01

References
Mikula, P., & Tryjanowski, P. (2016). Internet searching of bird-bird associations: A case of bee-eaters hitchhiking large African birds. Biodiversity Observations, 7, 1–6.
Grzegorz Kopij (2018) Diet of sympatrically breeding Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides and White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides, Ostrich, 89:2, 191-194. (PDF)
Bible, J. 2007. "Ardeotis kori" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.
Carmine Bee-Eaters (Merops nubicus & M. nubicoides) Fact Sheet. c2010-2018. San Diego (CA): San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance