Today I was struck by the adaptability of a beautiful gem of a bird, the Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides. I watched them this morning hawking insects flushed by a troop of baboons as they moved through a grassland and it dawned on me just how amazing our interspecific relationships are and just how old they are too. We marvel at the relationship between the Honeyguides and Man but there are similar relationships developing and evolving right before our eyes if we care to see them.
I tried in vain to get a photograph as a "Carmine" was hawking insects from above a Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori the other day but did manage to get the one of carmines feeding above Ground Hornbills Bucorvis leadbeateri. It seems that there is opportunity for symbiosis everywhere and nature is making the most of it!
The Hwange Birder
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