Brood parasites – Part 1

PHILIP VAN DEN BERG (U34) writes: Brood parasites are birds which lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species. The latter hatch and rear the young parasites. There are three parasitic groups in Southern Africa, the Cuckoos, the Honeyguides and the Whydahs (which include Indigo-birds).  Members of all three groups occur in our village and will be dealt with in more detail in future issues of this blog.

It is only the Honeyguide family that is exclusively parasitic.

The Lesser Honeyguide (below top) can often be seen if there are nesting activities by either the Black-collared Barbet (below centre) or the Crested Barbet (bottom).

Barbets nest in excavated holes in soft dry wood. The nesting logs made from the base of the inflorescence of the Agave (garingboom) that people fasten to a tree, is ideal for this purpose.

Lesser Honeyguides are solitary and inconspicuous birds, but when Barbets are nesting they often visit the nesting holes looking for an opportunity to lay an egg. Barbets do not meekly accept them and have developed behaviour traits to counter the actions of the honeyguides. The male Honeyguide, on the other hand, tries to lure the Barbets away from the nest to give the female an opportunity to lay her egg. When the young Honeyguide hatches, it will kill the Barbet chicks using a sharp hook at the tip off its bill specifically grown for this purpose. The Honeyguide chick will then receive the undivided attention of the host parents, i.e. the Barbets.

In closing, a strange but true story relates that Honeyguides used to visit churches in Mozambique to feed on the candles!