Invited cleaners or unsolicited visitors: Eastern phoebes use white-tailed deer to forage

摘要: The eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is an insectivorous bird that sometimes consumes ectoparasites. Previous accounts indicate phoebes may indirectly benefit mammals by consuming parasites found in vegetation reducing the probability of tick encounters. As part experiment quantifying community-level vertebrate interactions relative to plant community structure, we continuously monitored communities with camera traps a loblolly pine forest Mississippi (USA). We observed direct between and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) where perched actively foraged for on captured insects flushed from deer. Similar ungulates birds have been reported around globe but whether interaction commensalistic or mutualistic has yet be determined.