Ant attack on Sunbird nest

Living in SACON campus surrounded by forest always enthralls me. One just need keen eyes to look around and nature always surprises at the same time teaches. On 12^th September 2018, the day was going on fine, until the “chik…chik…cheek…chik”, the rapid alarm tweets of Sunbird broke the silence from the garden at SACON library. I peeped out through my window to find a dejected male Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) with an unalterable gaze at his nest.

Sunbird nest with red-ants influx

Sunbird perched facing his nest

Alas! His nest has been attacked by a group of red ants. He showed his displeasure and protested by giving quick alarm calls. His female partner also joined to show her outrage through calls, but soon gave up.

But, male continued his vocal disapproval as nothing else could be done to save their nest and the eggs. He would have never anticipated this attack. Their hanging nest is so advantageously positioned almost at the tip of Bougainvillea branch, with a small entrance facing my window. Absolutely no other birds could hover to reach the nest, nor any snake could crawl up to reach the thin-curvy branch. I admired their clever choice of location. Both male and female were meticulous in building up their nest from the scratch.

Several days of hard work has been ruined in no time by the red ants. His vocal protests went in vain with neither response nor any sort of redressal from the red ants. The ants’ numbers increased within 6-8 min and conquered the nest. With images of his hard work flashing in his memory lane, the male perched diagonally below his nest with keen watch at the devouring ants.

Sunbird pecking at red-ants

He mustered all his anger and agitation and went close to the ants and picked an ant and threw it away. He made several hovering attempts and caught few ants and threw them aside, however, the ants outnumbered enormously. At last the nest succumbs to the red ant infestation.

I initially admired at the sunbirds’ choice of nest location, but nature had different opinion. I could only remember the lines of Henry Ford, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. The male sunbird gave a call in response to the female partner and swiftly flew away from the scene. Perhaps Henry Ford words reverberated to his ears as well.