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A Mutualistic Feeding Association Between Boat-Tailed Grackles And

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A Mutualistic Feeding Association Between Boat-Tailed Grackles And SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 147 BROWER,L. P., B. S. ALPERT,AND S. C. GLAZIER. 1970. sonia), p. 133-154. In A. C. Bent, Life histories of Observational learning in feeding behavior of Blue North American jays, crows, and titmice. U.S. Natl. Jays (Cyanocittacristata). Am. Zool. 10:475-476. Mus. Bull. 191. (Dover reprint, 1964). DINSMORE,J. J. 1973. Foraging successof Cattle Egrets, MACKWORTH-PRAED, C. W., AND C. H. B. GRANT. 1955. Bubulcusibis. Am. Midl. Nat. 891242-246. Birds of eastern and northeastern Africa. Vol. II. DIXON, J. S. 1944. California jay picks ticks from mule Longmans Green and Co., London. deer. Condor 46:204. SCHULZ, T. A., AND P. D. BUDWISER. 1970. Scrub Jay HEATWOLE,H. 1965. Some aspectsof the associationof possiblyfeeding on ectoparasitesof a black-taileddeer. Cattle Egretswith cattle. Anim. Behav. 20:42 l-424. Calif. Dept. Fish Game Bull. 56 (January). HOWELL,T. R. 1979. Breeding biology of the Egyptian SKEAD, C. J. 1951. Notes on honeyguidesin southeastern Plover, Pluvianusaegyptius. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. Cape province, South Africa. Auk 68:52-62. 113. LINSDALE,J. M. 1937. Natural history ofMagpies. Pacific Point ReyesBird Observatory,4990 ShorelineHighway, Coast Avifauna 25. Stinson Beach, California 94970. Received 13 January LINSDALE,J. M. 1946. American Magpie (Picapica hud- 1984. Final acceptance7 November 1984. The Condor87:147-148 24 l-242, 1971) describeda similar instanceof feeding by 0 The CooperOrnithological Society 1985 Pied-billed Grebes and Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) in which the grebeswere chasingsmall fish into shallowwater A MUTUALISTIC FEEDING where they were capturedby both species,the grebesben- efitting by the herons “chasing” fish from their refuge in ASSOCIATION BETWEEN vegetation. Mueller et al. (Auk 89:190, 1972) reported BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES similar interactions between Pied-billed Grebes, a Tri- AND PIED-BILLED GREBES colored Heron (E. tricolor),and a Snowy Egret. Paulson (Auk 86:759, 1969) reviewed examples of feeding asso- ciations between other grebe species and other aquatic JEROME A. JACKSON birds. The observation reported here is novel in that it involved interaction with a terrestrial bird species, and unusualprey for the grebes. Similar involvement of multiple individuals of two bird At noon on 25 December 1978, I observed a feeding as- specieswas described by Clark (Fla. Field Nat. 6:45-46, sociation between Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbuspodi- 1978) for a feeding associationof American White Peli- ceps)and female Boat-tailed Grackles (Quiscalusmajor) on Horn Island, approximately 10 km south of Ocean cans (Pelecanuserythrorhynchos) and Wood Storks (Myc- teria americana), and by Rodgers (Fla. Field Nat. 6:44- Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. My attention was drawn to the birds becauseof their numbers, proximity 45, 1978) for Brown Pelicans(Pelecanus occidentalis) and Wood Storks.Both ofthesecases also recognized one species to one another, and their frenzied behavior. Observations were made with a 20 x spotting scopefrom 30 m away at (the Wood Stork) as the primary beneficiary of the asso- ciation. Those associationsmight also have been mutu- a ca. l-ha freshwaterpond fringed with yaupon (Ilex vom- alistic, however, becausefish that escapedthe Wood Storks itoria) and low (~0.3 m) grassesand herbaceousvegeta- tion. When first seen,two grebeswere feeding within 1 m were probably often herded back into the path of the pel- of one another and within 0.3 m of a grassy shoreline. ican assemblages. Suchinteractions involving multiple individuals of each Water depth did not exceed 0.2 m and the grebes were predatorspecies herding multiple prey individualsare likely capturing prey from the surface. A tight group of eight to be mutualistic. Various authors have referred to such female Boat-tailed Grackles was clustered at the water’s associationsas “cooperative” (e.g., Leek 1971) or “com- edgenear (often within 0.1 m) the grebes.The mixed group mensal” (e.g., Paulson 1969, Clark 1978, Rodgers 1978). moved steadily along the shore at about 1 m/10 s. None of the interspecificassociations there describedsug- As the grackles worked their way through the grass, gested that the relationship resulted from active associa- climbing, hopping, and flying, I sawnumerous grasshopper tion by both species.Rather it appearsthat one, the grebe nymphs jumping in front of them. Some were captured or the Wood Stork in the casesdescribed above, was at- by the grackles,others escapedto the water where many tracted to the feeding activities of the other. Thus “co- were caught by the grebes, and still others escapedback operative” seemsan inappropriate descriptor.In all of the to land either to be eaten by waiting grackles or to be casesdescribed here, however, both speciesprobably ben- chasedback to the water. Becauseof the rapid movement, efitted from the activity, albeit the grebesand storks per- the number of birds, and the partially obscuringvegeta- haps more so. Thus, the associationsare more than “com- tion, it was difficult to determine capture rates. For brief mensal.” It seemssignificant that in none of the caseswas periods when I was able to keep one bird in view, grackles interspecificevasive or aggressiveactions observed. This caught grasshoppersat an average rate of one every 9 s (range 5-17 s, n = 11) and grebescaught grasshoppersat supportsthe notion that the associationswere mutualistic. a rate of one every 11 s (range = 5-23 s, n = 14). These It is easy to imagine, however, that under circumstances of more distant or closer associationand/or decreasedor peak rates were for individuals closestto the water’s edge, increased numbers of grebes, the relationship might be- capture rates seemed slower for birds more distant. This come one of commensalism or kleptoparasitism, respec- feeding frenzy continued for nearly 20 min, at which time tively. Interspecificfeeding associationsthus seemto form the group arrived at a densecattail (Typha latifolia) stand. a gradedseries from commensalismto mutualism to klep- The gracklesthen flew off as a group and the grebesdis- toparasitism, depending on the closenessof the birds and appearedinto the cattails. the numbers of the “benefitted” species. Although the grebeswere the primary beneficiaryof the feedingassociation, the observedbehavior was mutualistic I acknowledgeboth logistic and financial support from rather than merely commensal. Most captures by both the U.S. National Park Service,GulfIslands National Sea- speciesresulted from flushingof the insectsback and forth shore, for my studies on the National Seashoreislands. between the land and the water. Leek (Am. Midl. Nat. 86: Stephen Cofer-Shabica, Jim Ray, and numerous park 148 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS rangers have facilitated my work. Ron Mumme and an Departmentof BiologicalSciences, Box Z, MississippiState anonymousreviewer made helpful comments on an earlier University,Mississippi State, Mississippi39742. Received draft of the manuscript. 1 March 1984. Final acceptance26 July 1984. The Condor87:148-150 The major color differencesbetween C. sordidusand C. 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 1985 latirostrisare as follows (C. latirostrisin parentheses):(1) throat dull sootv-arav.,._. ,, each feather with a concealeddark- RE-EVALUATION OF THE er gray subterminal area (strongly glittering bluish-green to purplish-blue); (2) midbreast sooty-gray(metallic, i.e., “HYBRID” HUMMINGBIRD shiny but not stronglyglittering, yellow-green,green, blue- CYNANTHUS SORDIDUS x green or blue); (3) abdomen dull pale gray (metallic yel- C. LATIROSTRIS lowish-greento blue-green),(4) long undertail coverts pale bulfy-gray (white, mostly white or, in doubledayi,glossy FROM MEXICO bluish-black); (5) dorsal surfaceof central rectrices olive- green, basal one-third orange-green(glossy bluish-black, LAURENCE C. BINFORD tipped gray); and (6) forehead and crown metallic yellow- ish-green(similar, exceptstrongly glittering green to bluish- green in doubledayz]. Friedmann et al. (1950) reported a “hybrid” between the The “hybrids” were identical to C. sordidusin all re- Dusky Hummingbird (Cynanthussordidus) and the nom- spects except throat color, which, presumably, was the inate race of Broad-billed Hummingbird (C. latirostris). characternoted by Friedmann et al. (1950). The throat of Gray (1958) did not list this hybrid combination in her “hybrids” had a variable number (from 1 to many) of extensive survey, but Short and Phillips (1966) and Mayr featherswith a single, metallic, green-to-blue subterminal and Short (1970) mentioned its existence.Here I present disc that was only partially concealed.I judged the color evidence that the purported hybrid, as well as 14 similar of thesespots by eye, employing an evenly graded spectral specimens,are simply plumage variants of C. sordidus. scale from green to blue, as follows: 1, green; 2, bluish- While studying the avifauna of the Mexican state of green; 3, blue-green;4, greenish-blue;and 5, blue. Of the Oaxaca, I examined the hybrid specimenin question,No. 15 “hybrids” that I examined, 1 had greenspots, 5 bluish- 37930 in the Moore Laboratory of Zoology ([MLZ] Oc- green, 6 blue-green, 1 greenish-blueand 2 blue. The av- cidental College, Los Angeles). It was an adult male col- erage value was 2.9, or approximately blue-green. If the lected by C. C. Lamb on 9 July 1943 at 1,829 m elevation spotted-throat birds were true hybrids, I would have ex- at “Tamazulapam” (=Tamazulapan de1Progreso), a town pected more similarities in plumage color between them located in the interior
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