Purple martins keep invasive fire ants in check
Purple martin songbirds are supplementing their normal diet with the nutritious but invasive queen fire ants, captured during the ants' mating flights
Songbirds dine on fire ant queens during their mating flights
Red fire ants are native to South America, but found their way to the southeastern United States in the 1930's. Today, these stinging ants are found in all of the US states on the Gulf of Mexico, and are spreading north and west.
But unlike many other invasive species, the red imported fire ants may be of some benefit. A new study by Dr. Jackson Helms, from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, has found that the ants are a favourite food of the purple martin songbird.
He's estimated that purple martins are eating billions of fire ant queens every year, and are helping to keep the population of the invaders in check. The study also found that populations of purple martins and other insect-eating bird species - although declining in other parts of North America - are healthy in areas where red imported fire ants are found.
Related Links