Bee in the nose: raptors let or let not stingless bees enter their nostrils

Abstract

Relationships between birds and social insects include birds following ants, birds nesting close to active colonies of wasps or bees, and nesting inside termitaria. A little known relationship between birds and colonial insects is that of stingless bees (Meliponina) entering the nostrils of hawks and owls. Herein I report on a stingless bee entering the nostrils of the Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris), and on avoiding behaviours displayed by the same hawk species and a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in presence of stingless bees hovering in front of their faces. The bees probably were seeking mucus inside the raptors’ nostrils, as already reported for a few birds of prey. Avoiding behaviour seems a novelty in this relationship between raptors and bees. The role stingless bees play in the lives of some bird species remains little known, and merits closer attention by field ornithologists and apidolologist.