Hawaiian Honeycreepers Steal Nest Materials in 39 Cases Across 216 Nests, Study Finds
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 12
Hawaiian Honeycreepers Steal Nest Materials in 39 Cases Across 216 Nests, Study Finds
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 12
Researchers tracking 216 nests on Hawaii recorded 39 cases of nest-material theft by three honeycreeper species, providing what they say is the first quantitative analysis of the behavior.
Nest building is labor-intensive—birds must gather, shape and line twigs into a cup—helping explain why the honeycreepers resorted to opportunistic stealing instead of collecting their own materials.
Most thefts targeted inactive nests, but five involved active nests, and researchers said two of those incidents may have contributed to nest failure when parents abandoned the site.
The scarlet-and-golden forest songbirds stole from one another regardless of species, suggesting the behavior is a common survival tactic in Hawaii's harsh high-elevation native forests.
More than 40 songbird species have been reported anecdotally to steal nest materials, but the new study indicates the practice may be far more common than previously documented.
Could the honeycreepers' nest-stealing tactic be spreading the deadly avian malaria that threatens their extinction?
Can gene-edited mosquitoes and 3D-printed nests save Hawaii's iconic birds before they disappear forever?